Avatar: Lost Secrets
by MusicChangedMyLife
Summary: You never knew... you never dreamed... you never dared... You thought you knew what happened to Team Avatar during their perilous journey, but there are some things you never dreamed of. Discover answers to some unexplained questions, a never-before-seen character, and who really loved Zuko... and how she changed the world.
1. Prelude

**A/N: Every chapter hereafter will be named after a song. That chapter will contain a song with changed lyrics to fit the story. You do not have to look up the song and listen to the tune, but I think that for most songs, it will be a better reading experience afterwards. Thank you for choosing Linn's story and enjoy the ride!**

* * *

Linn shouldn't have loved him. She was Air Nomad, he was Fire Nation - she knew it was beyond anything that had happened before. But still she met with him in secret. There was something about him, fierce and hot and angry... and unbelievably drawing. For months, she spent nights in his arms, safe and sound. But that all changed as her belly began growing and two tiny lives grew within...

* * *

"Quick, the baby's coming! I guess fourteen hours of labor was enough for him, right?" The nursemaid joked as nuns bustled around in a frenzy. "Watch it, watch it, careful with those! And you, come over here! I need help!" She shouted out orders as Linn panted. An hour later, two babies were cleaned up and wrapped in blankets, each nestled in a midwife's arms. The boy had cried and then fallen asleep quickly after persistent rocking, but the girl hadn't made a sound. She stared uncannily at the midwife, almost unblinking. Her vivid green eyes unnerved the midwife, but she rocked the child anyway.

Now that the commotion had settled down, the temple room was a lot less crowded. But still the occasional nun came through. One such woman knocked over some piled pans and other assorted kitchen implements, and the girl threw a fit. She struggled and cried, and suddenly sneezed - and without warning, the midwife's sleeve caught fire.

Immediately women burst into action, and the fire was quickly extinguished. But many stared in horror at the now-calm child, aghast because she was, in their eyes, a monster or devil. The nuns chattered for a few minutes, and finally agreed: the child could not stay. So in utmost secrecy, she was spirited away by three nuns into the forest, left there so that she might at least become a part of the circle of life. But still one nun felt guilty.

"Are we to simply leave the child here? With no name?" the nun inquired tentatively. "Then, at least, she can be remembered..." But the other nuns sneered at her.

"Fine, then. Let her be known as Linn, in honor of her mother who brought such an abomination into this world." And so the girl, now Linn, looked at them and smiled for the first time. Then she was left on the ground, and not once during the journey home did they hear her cry.

* * *

"Fang, I know you say I have to hide here, but what good will it do? No one will find me!" Linn plopped herself down on the ground, and sighed. Fang's lithe dragon body curved as she reached out and touched her, and visions flashed through her mind: Fire Nation soldiers, leaping flames, and limp bodies. Linn sighed again and tucked her knees in to her chest. "I haven't seen the world for twelve years! Twelve years! I think I'm ready, but still you hold me back." Fang curled up and tucked her head in. Linn groaned.

"Oh, don't get mad. I'm just being bratty. You raised me for those twelve years; I should be grateful." But then Linn hung her head. "Yet all I feel is confined. I _should_ be grateful, but I only feel like I'm in a cage and need to break free." Fang nodded, and Linn raised her head as she felt Fang's conscious touch hers gently - _It's your age. Everyone feels that way. _Linn smiled at the thought, but then let her head fall once more and grunted in frustration.

"Ugh! How will I ever show Aang the things he needs to know? He's all the way in the Southern Air Temple, and I'm here in the forest near the Eastern." Her tone became quiet. "Do you think he misses me? Or even remembers me?" For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then a flash of pain struck her and the world burst into flames.

Somewhere, far away, a boy sank into the ocean, enveloped in an iceberg...


	2. Coming Home

I collapsed as the flames died down. The flames... Fang was gone! I opened my mind and felt, but she wasn't near. She must have gone to the spirit world. But why? She would never leave me alone if I was in danger. Spontaneous flames counted as danger, right? I felt tears in my eyes. Why would she leave me alone? It wasn't fair! Then I wrestled my emotions down. Lately I had been having problems staying calm. I breathed in through my nose and exhaled through my mouth, employing an ancient technique that Fang told me was still used today.

I started walking. I knew something big must have happened, and I needed news. As long as I didn't go near the Air Temple, I'd be fine. As if the nuns could catch me, anyway. Although if Fang found me, I would be in trouble... I decided it was time to make my own decisions. And so I walked. The rest of the day. The forest wasn't big, so it only took that long to reach the edge. I stood there, and could only breathe. I had hidden in the forest for twelve years. Was I ready for the world to take me back? I smiled at that. _No._ But I didn't have a choice.

"_**It's a four-letter word, a place you go to heal your hurt. It's a temple, it's a shelter, one place you're always welcome. Never had one, but inside, I always knew that my brother'd fin-ally fill that empty hole, so I won't be on my own. Still needs some company, oh, I've been so alone-. After all of my running, I'm finally coming home– The world tried to break me, I'll find a road to take me. Home– I'll find a new blue sky now. After all of my running, I'm finally coming... home–... Well, they say it's where the heart is, and I guess the hardest part is when your heart's got no place, and you're lost looking for somewhere just to stay, looking for a path, trying to find a way back to somewhere you belong, well, where do I belong? Home– the world tried to break me, I'll find a path to take me. Home– I'll find a new blue sky now. After all of my running, I'm finally coming... home- home- Home– the world tried to break me, I'll find a road to take me. Home– I'll find my own blue sky now. After all of my running, I'm finally coming... After all of my running, I'm finally coming... home-."**_

I looked to the south. He was out there, somewhere. I felt his joy, his embarrassment, his love. Lost in thought as to why he was with the Southern Water Tribe, I absent-mindedly brought some water out of the air. It was a struggle, because Waterbending had always been my worst element. I tried instead bringing fire to my palm, and grinned with satisfaction as it came easily. The water evaporated, a quick puff of steam gone in a second. Then I heard a noise behind me.

I tried to whirl around, but I was too late. A rough hand clapped over my mouth. The arm wrapped around me forced me to turn around. I was surrounded by Fire Nation soldiers. A spear came to my throat. The faces of the soldiers were lit with wicked delight. Then, the voice of whoever was holding me spoke.

"Well, well, well... it looks like the Avatar is alive after all. A hundred years of waiting, but _we_ found the Avatar." Shock must have spread across my face. A hundred years? The Avatar being alive? I was afraid... very afraid.

A soldier facing me spoke up. "Sir, are you sure? The Avatar is supposed to be an Airbender; she's wearing the clothes of a forest person. And we have not witnessed her Airbend." Then he trembled; clearly, the face behind me was filled with rage.

"Lee, would you like for your post to suddenly open up?" the voice growled menacingly. "Because that can be arranged. Of course she's the Avatar! We saw Waterbending, we saw Firebending. Explain that!" The soldiers' heads bobbed up and down in agreement. Whoever was behind me was evidently to be feared. Yeah, right. I bit his hand, but he didn't flinch. "It appears she is not only the Avatar, but a troublemaker as well!" Nervous chuckles. "You'll pay for any resistance, girl." I felt hot breath on my neck, and the arm tightened around my chest, causing me to gasp for breath. Maybe this guy _was_ supposed to be feared...

"You!" the voice barked. "Grab her! Let her get away, and you'll get to look forward to blood and a life as a housewife! Understood?" A soldier, not poor Lee, came up, and his hand went over my mouth. I was tempted to bite it, but decided against it. Then they dragged me away, into the forest from which I had just escaped.

* * *

"I want to see some Waterbending!" roared the general, whose ugly face I had finally seen. I wished now that he had stayed a voice. His large face was quickly turning red, and his bushy black beard was practically vibrating with rage. Two soldiers stood on either side of me, each holding an arm tightly. I shook my head and spat in defiance. A hand slapped my face. It stung like a buzzard-wasp's jab, but still I stood fast.

"I told you, _girl:_ you'll pay for resistance." With that, the general's hand ignited, and he pulled down my right sleeve, exposing the bare skin of my shoulder. I realized what he was going to do. I tried the polar puppy eyes, the heartbreaker face, the pouty lip- every trick I could think of to earn mercy. But the only thing it did to him was make him smile, and his hand came down.

* * *

I hung limp. My shoulder felt like it was on fire, but the soldiers had done nothing, not even wrap the wound. They dragged me to a stream.

"Waterbending. Now!" the general ordered. I knew I would have to do it, or they would kill me. It didn't matter that I wasn't the Avatar. I was entertainment. I lifted my arms, and tried to bring up a wave. But nothing came. Instead, I had to clutch my shoulder and keep from screaming, as tears came into my eyes. The soldiers all had no-nonsense looks on. I tried again, but it was worse. Not even a wave came to the stream's calm flow. The general gave me a look. The _Do-it-or-die_ look. So I gave one last try. But my shoulder cried for relief, and in fury, I let loose a torrent of fire from my right arm. Suddenly set on Waterbending, I tried again and again, but nothing would happen. I screamed in frustration and dropped to the ground, barely able to let a sob escape. The soldiers didn't matter now. What mattered was that I had lost one of my abilities.

"Enough!" the general roared. He came over to me and grabbed me by the neck. I cried out in pain, but he didn't even flinch. His hands flung me around to face him, and I saw the change in his eyes as he realized he had made a mistake. I had no strength left to hold back the tears. "This girl is worthless. No one shall speak of this to their families, nor their comrades, nor their superiors. This never happened. After all," he said, lifting my chin as I glared at him through the salty blur, "The Fire Nation does not tolerate _failure._" He spat at my feet, and walked away. After the soldiers had all gone, I cried until my tears were spent and my pain was numbed to the point of no feeling at all.

* * *

I walked out of the forest once more, but this time, I clutched my shoulder tightly as I walked. Not even a Waterbending healer could help it now. But perhaps it would remind me of the mistake I had made. I stealthily went to some unsuspecting peasant's clothesline and stole Earth Kingdom garb. I was not Linn, the non-Avatar Air Nomad/Fire Nation reject. I was Linn, the Omashu girl who had been swept away from home. I didn't know what had happened in the last hundred years. But I knew that Sozin had begun the war when I was young. And judging by my beautiful reception, it had grown. Sozin's war probably ravaged the land by now, and there was something I could do: protect my brother and train him. Because even though I didn't know what had happened in all the time I missed, I did know that home is not where you live. It's where your family is. I thought to myself, So hold on, brother... I'm coming home.


	3. The Dream-Seeker

My eyes watered as the icy wind blew in my face. I thought back to my brief time in the Earth Kingdom. I had moved cautiously, but quickly, through the land, listening even for whispers of what had happened to the world wherever I stopped. I gathered as much as I could, but few talked about the fearful things everyone- except for me- had known for a hundred years.

If there was no exaggeration or distortion in what I heard, then Avatar Roku had "disappeared" over a hundred years ago and no new Avatar had emerged. But the other news I found was a blow to my heart: the Air Nomads were dead. All of them. Sozin had wiped them out, and I had been in the forest. Even though the Nomads had never shown me any kindness, save for the one nun who gave me a name, it was sad that I would never have a chance to prove my worth to those who believed I was unworthy. There was one thing, however, that didn't fit: How was Aang alive? I had no doubt, for I sensed his shame at something he had done. He was so close, yet so far...

The exhaustion brought by my journey swept over me, and the hood of my Water Tribe clothing- I had taken from a a few villages ago in exchange for my lighter Omashu robes- fell back, letting my face take the wind's full fury. I pulled it up, and continued. I had a dream, a hope; I was _not_ going to let go.

"_**For– so– long, I have traveled, I have fought, now the road is at an end– I've climbed the highest mountains, seen only snow beyond the hills, I'm alone with a dream– I have to go, release all my chains, how long must I search?-... How can I go on? The last drop of my strength silently falls away– No, I must not break, I must continue 'til the end– I am alone with a dream– And I have to go– Break free of my chains, but how long must I search- for my own dream? Now I– I hope to see if, if I will find it, if I see past all the lies. Is this my time, can I overcome my fears? Doubt has me in its grasp. I must believe that my wish will come true in the end– This has to end–... I've fought my own thoughts-, I've struggled to keep my head clear– I must vanquish the night– See through my clouded **__**sight, now I know–, now I know-... For- so- long– I have journeyed, I have strayed, now the road is near the end–, will all my chains– be gone, and released? How long must I search– to find my own dream? Now I– now I can see what, what I must become– past all pain and all lies– now it's my time, I can't be drowned by fear, no, there must be no doubt, I must just believe– that my wish will come true in the end–, live to the end-, strong in the end–..."**_

I felt new vigor come to my bones; there was _nothing_ in this world that could keep me from finding my brother. _Especially_ not the world, and that meant this icy storm, too. So I fought on, fighting the wind and the snow, and in my own way, the world.

* * *

I saw the walls of the Southern Water Tribes' village as I stood on a hill above. There was just _one_ thing out of place; a Fire Nation ship crashed through it. I saw Fire Nation soldiers threatening the villagers, which seemed to be only old women and young children. Then I saw a teenage girl hanging back, and a young man standing with her. And finally I saw _him_... staff in hand, and wearing the clothes of his - of _our, _I suppose - people. Suddenly, he walked off with the soldiers. The Water Tribe people clung to each other. What was he doing?

The ship's door closed up, and I watched as they began to set sail. Thinking fast, I ran off the hill, dove through the air, and crashed into the water. I came up, gasping for air, and Waterbended a bubble around my head. I was relieved to find my Waterbending still worked after my lapse in the Earth Kingdom forest, but focused on getting to Aang.

I followed underwater, using my bending- weak as it was- to propel myself through the water and keep up. For the longest time, that was all I could do. Then, the ship stopped. I came up to the surface, just in time to see Aang crash into the water. I saw his eyes glow, and felt the urge in myself.

He spiraled up out of the water using incredible Waterbending, and I watched as a small battle took place. I didn't have the best view, but I caught the sight of a bison in the air. There was much commotion, but it settled down, and the bison flew away. I saw a fireball shoot through the sky towards it, but Aang swatted it aside with his staff, causing it to crash into a glacier and rain snow and ice on the ship. I gasped at the incredible display of power he had shown. But there was no time to be amazed. I swam over to a patch of flat snow.

I made a feeble attempt at Waterbending my clothes dry, but to no avail. Soaking wet and freezing, I decided to head to the village and see if they'd offer me shelter. I had no idea if they would. I had never interacted with people, other than Fang's simulations she created for me. But it was either risk rejection or freeze. I thought it was obvious which was the better choice. I could come up with a story...

* * *

"I am _so_ sorry that I have to ask you like this for shelter, but I _have_ to find my brother. He headed this way, and I followed him even though I shouldn't have come when the storm was going to hit. You probably haven't seen him - he likes to stay away from people on his travels - but I need somewhere to stay until I can track him once more." I had practiced the expressions and hand gestures all the way there until I believed it was believable. The old ladies bought it.

"Oh, you poor dear, without a man on your journey. We've coped for a while, what with Hakoda leading them to help in the war, but it's always better to have one on hand. Of course we'll let you stay, if only for a little while! We can't spare much food, but if you help with the work that needs done, we might be able to give more. Our two teenagers just left on a special..." The woman's voice trailed off as another woman gave her a stern look. "Well, they had to leave, but we'd appreciate the help!" I pretended not to notice the slip and continued my charade.

"Oh, thank you, so very, very much! You don't know how much this means to me! I will help, but do you have any dry clothes to spare?" The women exchanged looks. Then a brave one stepped forward.

"The only clothes we have that might fit are Katara's. Seeing how she might not be back for a while..." The others all gave her evil glares but she continued. "...You can have a set or two. But please, try to return them if you pass this way again. We know not what may happen." Considering her last statement, I decided it could be interpreted many ways.

"Yes, our journey is unforeseeable, but I thank you for your kindness. If you would allow me to be changed, I will go to work right away." The women nodded, and I left for the girl's- _Katara's_- tent. I stripped off my clothes, and quickly put on the dry ones that awaited me, trying not to shiver uncontrollably.

Once my new clothes had been donned, I paused to think about what I had done. I had traveled so far, dreaming of finding my brother. I had finally made it, despite doubts, and he had left. But my dream was not out of reach. I knew where he was heading. And I feared how he would react to what he would find there.

Lifting my chin up proudly, I pulled aside the flap of the tent and got ready to work beside total strangers. This was the price of finding my dream. But it was a small price to pay after losing a hundred years. I _would_ find my dream... I would seek it until I had lost all strength. Because, after all, what would I be without him?


	4. Stand In The Rain

I caught up soon enough. It didn't take long, considering that I had a special way of travel. But the time didn't matter to me. Except if I was too late. I knew something Aang did not. And unless someone broke it to him gently, this trip was going to blow up in everyone's faces. He didn't know me, true. But we were bonded together. I was probably the only one with the strength to give _him_ the strength.

I watched them. The girl, Katara, and the teenage boy. Aang woke the boy up, and as I watched, I could barely stifle the laughter that rose up. He seemed so excited... I felt guilty.

I leapt with speed and grace in the hills, determined to beat them there. The dense wall of plants didn't help, especially since my braid threeatened to get caught several times, but I still managed to get there before them. I watched silently as they wandered through the empty place, Aang pointed out several things, and he played the boy in a game that I believed was called airball. I remembered how Fang had taught me about the Air Nomads, as if they were a foreign culture. But they were. After all, they weren't my culture.

Then they went inside the temple. I sensed from Aang's thoughts, so strong now that we were close, that he was going to finally see something. A forbidden room? I didn't know what awaited inside, but I kept watch. I immersed myself in Aang and watched through his eyes, and was amazed.

A room full of Avatar statues. The history of the world. So big... and then things happened I didn't understand. I couldn't hear, so I tried to adopt Aang's ears as well, but the connection between us wasn't strong enough. They hid, and there was a shadow. I recognized it instantly, and wondered why they were afraid.

Their surprise and relief was felt quickly. The lemur had frightened them, but now they were friendly towards it. But wait... The teenage boy chased it... and Aang chased it! I slipped out of Aang as if slipping out of water and ran towards their destination. If what I had guessed was correct, trouble was ahead.

I ran as fast as I could, but I was too late. Aang had found his mentor. I felt his pain, so intense and vivid, that I groaned and clutched my head, even as I ran. But it only worsened. He entered the Avatar State, filling me with rage and sorrow that wasn't mine. But I moved forward. I resisted, and fought, and struggled, and reached him. The two teens hid. Their eyes widened as they saw me, but made no move to stop me. I sought the right words to say, but would _could_ you say to someone who had just found it their life, their _home_ was gone? The right words came.

"_**You need to slow down. It's hard to find out and you know that you've just lost your home, you feel like you're just falling down. You must turn around, don't hide from the light, don't fear to cry that first tear, and let the tears rain down– So stand in the rain, stand your ground, stand up when it's all crashing down. You must face your pain, you won't drown, and all that you've lost can be found, so stand in the rain... Don't fear crying out; don't be alone in this fight with yourself, or let your fears whisper if you stand, you'll fall down. You know you've been found. The only way out is through everything you're running from. Don't just give up and lie down– So stand in the rain, stand your ground. Stand up when it's all crashing down. You must face your pain, you won't drown, and all that you've lost can be found, so stand in the rain... So stand in the rain, stand your ground, stand up when it's all crashing down. You must face your pain, you won't drown, and all that you've lost can be found, so stand in the rain! Stand your ground! Stand up when it's all crashing down! You must face your pain, you won't drown, and all that you've lost can be found, you stand in the rain..."**_

I watched in awe as the ball of air he had conjured evaporated and he came down to the ground. His eyes and tattoos still glowed, so I walked up and put an arm around him.

"You think you've lost a family, Aang," I whispered. "But you've really just found it." Then I added the words that changed everything. "I've missed you, brother."

* * *

"So, you're Aang's twin? And you both got trapped for a hundred years?" Sokka asked as we sat around a fire. Momo, as the lemur had been christened, leapt on to my shoulder. Sokka continued without giving me a chance to answer his rhetorical questions. "How is that possible? I mean, it's not like if you kill a turtle-seal, its brother dies, or if you grab an arctic hen by the leg, its twin starts to limp. In fact, I think that-"

"You don't think at all," Katara interrupted. "If you did, you wouldn't be quizzing her on her existence." I gave her a brief nod of thanks. I looked down, studying my thumbs. I still could hardly believe it. I was talking... to _actual_ people, not a simulation of Fang's. This was different from what I expected. I'd expected to welcome Aang alone, teach him everything, and save the world... okay, so it wasn't exactly a well thought-out plan.

"There is a lot you don't know, and most of it you can't," I said quietly. Without warning, my shoulder began to burn. I cried out and held it. Aang reached for me but I shied away.

"I'm fine," I said, but it probably sounded like I was just trying to convince myself. I was too busy gritting my teeth at the pain to care. Suddenly, my vision flashed between black and a vision. I shuddered; I knew my vision was a prophecy, and it would come true. And it wasn't a nice future. Then I blacked out.

* * *

"Linn? Linn?" I heard Katara's voice, then blinked as her face came into view. I thought of my vision, then dismissed the thought. Even if it did come true, it would do nothing but harm to tell them of the pain to come.

"I'm awake," I groaned. "How long?" Katara seemed a bit perplexed at how quickly I had gathered my thoughts.

"Only a minute or so. You fell, but you're leaning against Appa now, and your head doesn't seem to have hit anything." I smiled at her, trying to convey my gratitude.

"Thanks. Wait, Appa?" I looked up, and heard a rumbling groan. Ah. The bison. "I see. So," I said cheerfully, pushing myself up, "You guys left the Tribe to help Aang?" Katara nodded soberly.

"Aang is the Avatar. Even though we didn't know that then, we knew that he needed help. Speaking of the Tribe," she said, her face taking on an expression that worried me, "Are you Water Tribe? I have a set of clothes just like yours at home." My eyebrows shot up. So, Katara, I was at your house and thought I'd borrow these...

"I was at the Southern Water Tribe for a brief time, and I was lacking the proper clothes for the weather. The women there were very kind and lent me these. But next chance I get, I'll probably switch to something lighter." Next time I see an abandoned clothesline, that is. "Well, where are you heading?" As if I didn't know. Katara smiled at that.

"We're supposed to be going to the North Pole so Aang can learn Waterbending, but he has a few... _pit stops_ planned along the way." I felt Aang's mind, just out in the forest, collecting firewood. After some searching, I found what I was looking for.

"Kyoshi Island?" I said incredibly. Katara's smile turned into a suspicious frown.

"Yeah. How did you know? He wants to ride the koi there." I thought about it. So Aang liked riding koi. Not sure how he developed _that_ habit, considering his location for most of his life, but another thing struck me.

"The North Pole to _learn _Waterbending? Then what did Aang do back there at that Fire Navy ship?" Katara's frown deepened.

"Have you been stalking us?" I shifted uncomfortably; when she put it _that_ way...

"No, I've been trying to keep up with you guys. You just can't stay still, can you? By the way, your grandmother was very kind. I appreciate her hospitality." I changed the subject desperately, hoping she wouldn't ask more, but it only made it worse.

"You met my grandmother? Were you spying on us then, too?" Katara accused. I shook my head quickly. She certainly jumped to conclusions!

"I had to rest there. _You_ should try walking through the South Pole by yourself. Have fun, bring Momo, and don't freeze to death or collapse from exhaustion!" Katara huffed at me. I smiled prettily. A slight itch in my mind alerted me to Aang's activities. "Well, while you do that, I'll go off to help Aang. It seems Sokka's stubbed his toe. You might want to check that for splinters later." I jumped to my feet and headed in the boys' general direction.

Ah. Ticking off the girl I just met, saving the Air Temple from Avatar State-induced destruction, and helping Sokka not collapse from his splinter. All in a day's work. With that in mind, I found Aang and Sokka.

"It could be infected! What if my toe swells up and I have a huge inflated toe!?" I smiled. From what I knew so far of Sokka, it seemed my journey with him and the others would be very... entertaining.

"Calm down, Sokka," Aang said. "I'm sure Katara will fix it right up when we get back." I walked up to them.

"Or I could," I offered. "Sokka, come over here." He pathetically limped over. I grabbed his toe, grasped the splinter between my index and thumb, and, ever so delicately, yanked it out. Sokka yelled, and I flicked the splinter away. "There, all better." Aang gave me a look. "Okay, okay." I took some water from a nearby puddle, with my hands, and rubbed it on Sokka's foot. When I was sure neither was examining me, I Waterbended it into a mold and healed it. Sokka sighed in relief as I grabbed a soft leaf and wrapped it aruond his toe, making small incisions with my fingers so I could tie it closed.

"Aaaaaah. So much better." I rolled my eyes, and glanced over at Aang. I saw him studying me. I sensed from his mind vague thoughts. _Is she telling the truth? How did she get here? What can she do? How did this happen?_ The thoughts were probably along the lines of what _I_ would have thought had I been him, but they still troubled me. And they brought along thoughts of my own. How could I prove to them I wasn't lying? How could I do that without revealing my bending abilities? How would Aang react to the truth about our parents? I groaned inwardly. Aang may have stood through the pain of losing what he had grown up with, but I had my own rain to stand through.


	5. When I Saw You

"You know," I said casually. "If my instincts are correct, Kyoshi Island will come up on our right soon _if_ you adjust your course a _little_ bit to the right." Katara glared at me as she sewed Sokka's pants.

"Well, I know it's near water," Aang said. "I'll try it." I smiled at him. Aang had accepted me into the group without question. Of course he had; I could see it in his eyes that he felt the change inside like I did. That I belonged. As for Sokka and Katara... well, I knew it would come to them in time. It had to. Momo chirped at me, and I scratched her head, which pleased her immensely. I had discovered sometime before that both Appa and Momo were female, but I didn't want to approach Aang on the subject. I turned my eyes back on Aang, who was trying to get Katara's attention. Hmph. Good luck.

"Katara, check this out!" Aang Airbended some marbles- I was't sure where those came from- and they spun around. Katara reacted with the same ecstasy I had expected.

"That's nice, Aang," she said without looking up. Aang's face fell. It was sad, seeing him down because of a neglecting Water Tribe girl. So I interrupted with some happy news.

"We're here!" I exclaimed, and, to our right, was Kyoshi Island. We landed, and I slid off Appa gracefully. "What are we waiting for? The koi fish won't ride themselves!" With that, I threw myself into the water, enjoying its icy waves. Aang quickly followed.

"Cold!" he yelled. Then I saw a fin in the water. I grinned.

"Catch me if you can!" I grabbed hold of the fin and whooped as the giant koi fish sped through the water. Aang grabbed hold of another koi, and we raced. If this was what living with real people was like, I couldn't _believe_ what I'd been missing! We were joined by other koi, and our school swam so fast, my hair streamed out behind me and my cheeks were pulled back by the force. I laughed, and pulled ahead of Aang. He laughed, too, until another, much bigger fin came into view. I recognized it from Fang's images of Unagi, a vicious species of sea serpent that only lived in water near land masses.

"Aang, swim for shore!" I shouted to him, and pointed to the coming fin. He looked where I was pointing and nodded. We both dove off our koi. I Waterbended us forward, being careful to make it look like it was the waves. We collapsed, panting, on the beach. Katara had been sitting there the whole time, working on Sokka's pants. I grabbed some spare clothes I had in my bag, and Aang and I used them as towels. Katara looked up as we dried off.

"Aang! Are you okay?" she exclaimed, ignoring me completely.

"I'm fine-" Aang began, but I cut him off.

"Yes, _we're_ okay, but there was an Unagi out there that could have killed us. Would've been nice if we'd had some Waterbending to help us get away." I didn't mention that we _did_ have some Waterbending to get away, seeing as that would have taken away from my point. Aang gave me a look; the _Please-play-nicely-since-I-can't-deal-with-it_ look. I sighed.

"Sorry, Katara. I'm just tired," I said with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. It surprisingly was more than I thought, considering I _was_ tired and I was pretty good at faking. Katara gave me a look; the _I-don't-believe-you-for-a-second-but-I'll-take-the-truce-anyway_ look. Just then, Sokka came over.

"Aang, come look what I found. You'll never believe-" That was when we were ambushed and blindfolded.

* * *

Some time later, our blindfolds were removed. There was an angry-looking old man and some women. Judging by their garb, they were Kyoshi Warriors. Lovely.

"Who are you?" demanded the man. "Kyoshi has stayed out of the war so far, and we intend to keep it that way!" I would've held up my hands in "surrender", had they not been tied to a post.

"Let me do the talking," I whispered to the others before Sokka could say something stupid. Fang had trained me in careful dealing with everything from cannibals - although I wasn't sure when that would be necessary - to politicians. I began speaking formally and politely, as I had been taught. "I understand your predicament. It is good to find a place the war has not poisoned. Although, I do not know what you will do when the Fire Navy reaches you..." I let that hang in the air for a moment, then continued. "My name is Linn. We did not intend-" That was when Aang interrupted.

"I just wanted to ride the koi!" he blurted. I would've smacked my forehead, had my hands not been tied to a post. I gracefully recovered my former calm and resumed speaking.

"As my companion said, we came here to enjoy the water and that which swam in the water. Had we known about your Unagi, we would not have-" That was when the man interrupted.

"You know of the Unagi?" he said suspiciously. I sighed.

"Yes. My point is-" At that point, Sokka interrupted.

"Look, he's the Avatar, so can't you give us a break?" I would've smacked my forehead, then strangled Sokka, had my hands not been tied to a post. The crowd that had gathered around us gasped at Sokka's statement, then looked expectantly at Aang.

"Well, the damage is done, so go ahead," I muttered to Aang. He Airbended himself up, letting the ropes fall away. Everyone gasped again, then cheered wildly. One villager even started foaming at the mouth before collapsing, which made me wonder how stable the villagers were. Aang bowed repeatedly, and I rolled my eyes. I was praying, Oh, let us get out of here before it gets worse.

* * *

"We've been here too long," I argued, as Aang dug into the breakfast the Kyoshi people had provided. "We're becoming too attached to this place. We need to move out before we become permanently stuck." The sad thing was, only Katara agreed with me. Sokka was learning from the Kyoshi Warriors, Momo was being stuffed very day, and Aang couldn't go anywhere without the Kyoshi Groupies following. Even Appa had it great.

"She's right, Aang," Katara said. "We need to go." Aang stood up.

"You know what? I think you're jealous!" I let my head fall back in exasperation.

"Of what?" Katara shot back. Please, _please_ shut your mouth before you make it worse, I prayed silently.

"Of how much fun we're having!" Oh, deities help me. "In fact, the girls are coming with me on an outing today. 'Cause guess what? I'm going to ride the Unagi. Have fun sitting here!" Aang stormed off. Why do I always have to be right?

"You better apologize," I said to Katara.

"Me? What for?" Katara said angrily. "I'm sick of him and his... his... fan club! I'm getting supplies for the trip!" She stormed off. Good job, Linn. Two people angry in one day. And still stuck on an island filled with happy people. I was hoping something bad would happen soon, or else I'd have this conversation every morning for the rest of my life. Oh, deities help me.

* * *

I watched the groupies abandon Aang. The Unagi hadn't showed up, for which I was extremely grateful. As soon as the last girl left, I stepped out from behind the trees. Aang's face lit up in a smile when he saw me.

"You came!" he said. I had to smile back. It was hard not to be happy with him around.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure I'll regret it later. Now come on out of the water, Aang!" I beckoned to him, and he began swimming toward me. But he was too late. From the water, a fin began to emerge. Oh, no. "Swim, Aang, swim!" His arms were moving as fast as they could but they couldn't get away fast enough. An agile body lifted him into the air. Without pausing to think, I raised my arms to Waterbend. After three tries, I Waterbended a whirlpool, causing the Unagi to spin and shriek in rage. I then launched rocks using Earthbending as fast as I could. Aang flew off of the serpent, and lay still in the water. I dove into the water, and grabbed him. A huge wave caused by the Unagi's writhing washed us into shore. And things got worse.

"Oh, help me," I whispered aloud to the unknown and unbelieved in forces I always prayed to. In the distance and fast approaching was a Fire Nation ship. The Unagi descended into deeper waters as the ship landed. The ramp came down, and Komodo rhinos emerged. I gazed at the leading Komodo... or rather, his rider. We locked eyes, and a strange feeling raced through me. It wasn't a feeling I had ever felt before. I looked at him, and there was _something_. He was fiery and angry, and all of a sudden I needed that. My heart nearly stopped. What was happening to me?

"I want the Avatar alive," he said. His voice was raspy, and I averted my gaze from his eyes to see his scar. This was the teenager who had kidnaped Aang at the North Pole! His voice struck something in me. Suddenly, my mind opened up.

_A throne room, filled with flames. A kind woman feeding turtle ducks. A cruel girl teasing. An unscarred boy, angry and scared. A duel. Flames and pain and shame and no honor!_

No. That couldn't be possible. I could only sense the thoughts of my brother, because he was my brother, and Fang, since she raised me. This boy was almost a complete stranger! But he was filled with so much pain. He was sad and withdrawn and hurting, and Aang was going to have to suffer for it. It didn't matter to me that he would chase Aang. He was a lost soul, and he needed to be found. The feeling rose up in me again. It was so strong, my arms slacked and I let Aang drop. He began to stir.

"Linn?" He coughed up water, and rose up. Hie voice became worried as I stared, unseeing. "Linn, are you okay? Linn? Linn!" That was the last thing I heard before the feeling overtook my eyes and everything went black.

* * *

The wind blew as I lay, now awake. I pushed myself up, and I blinked away the mist in my eyes. I was propped up against the edge of Appa's saddle. Sokka sat near the edge, sharpening something. Katara came over when she saw that I was awake.

"Linn, what happened?" Katara said. Was that _worry_ I detected? Huh. Maybe she did care. I decided to follow the rule of lies: The most believable lie is one that has plenty of truth.

"To be honest, I'm not sure," I confessed. "Aang was in the water, and the Unagi showed, up, and..." I let it hang, hoping Aang would fill in. Like a good little trooper, he did.

"Linn saved me! I was in the water, and the Unagi just rose up, and I was on it, and there was a whirlpool, and I flew off, and I hit my head, I think. Hard. But Linn got me out, and I had swallowed some water, which was pretty icky, and Linn took me to shore. And Zuko showed up! But then, she, um, she kind of fainted." I winced at Aang's description of events. Everyone was giving me questioning looks. I just couldn't deal with it right now.

"Look, guys, I know you want to know the truth, but I'm really tired, and I don't think I can stay awake much longer." To prove my point, a yawn came on. With that, I curled up in a corner and let dreams sink over me.

* * *

The Fire Nation teenager was there, Zuko. He stood, surrounded by mist, crying out in pain. But every time I headed toward him, he evaporated, and soon appeared somewhere else. I tired quickly, and sat down, knees tucked to my chest. I directed my thoughts to Zuko, not knowing if he could hear.

"_**Sad, heavenly eyes gazed right through me- transcending space, and time-. And I was rendered still- there were no words- for me to speak- at all-. As I stood there beside my bro-ther, I could see you, and no- one else-. When- I- saw- you-, when- I- saw- you-, I could- not- see-, I fell- so- deep-. When- I- saw- you-, when- I- saw- you-, I'd- ne-ver- be-, I'll- ne-ver- be-**__**the same-... Only once- in a lifetime- love rushes in- changing me with the tide-. And- bringing- a ribbon of light- to light up my dark-. Awaken me- inside-. And I thought it couldn't- be true- until there all at once-, I knew- When- I- saw- you-, when- I saw- you- I could- not- see-, I fell- so- deep**__-. __**When- I- saw- you, when- I- saw you- I'd- ne-ver- be-, I'll- ne-ver- be- the- same-. With this beginning, there's- the doubt an end-. You are- the one for me-. Let it not end-. And those eyes started- it all-. Your eyes let me know- When- I saw- you-, when- I- saw- you-, I could- not- see-, I fell- so- deep. When- I saw- you-, when- I- saw you-, I'd ne-ver- be-, I'll ne-ver- be- the same-... Never be the same-..."**_

Today's events had changed me forever. Since I saw him, I will never be the same. But perhaps it could be a good thing. I thought I knew what the feeling had been now. It was both good and bad, and although I had felt it more than I had ever felt anything else before, it was still hard to believe it had happened to _me_. And the thought of it let the rest of my dream be not of longing, but of the ecstasy that I had never had.


	6. Finally Free

"Omashu?" I repeated. "What for?" Aang looked up from the map.

"I just want to ride the mail system." He gave me a _Please-let-me-do-this-I-promise-I'll-be-good-for-the-rest-of-my-life_ look, and I melted. In my head, I imagined a stern me obeying my training and saying no. However, that me was never around when I needed her. She was usually trying to wrestle down the thoughts of Zuko threatening to take over everything else.

"Fine," I said. "But just once. We really need to get to the North Pole." If it was just you and me, we'd be there by now, I added silently to myself.

"What's the hurry?" Aang said, returning his gaze to the map. "It's not like we're on a schedule. Lighten up, Linn. You have to admit, we had fun at the other stops we made." Yeah, _we._ I couldn't tell him about my vision, not with Katara and Sokka around. I sprawled out on the saddle, wishing my life was simple. Another rule fracture.

It didn't take long to get to Omashu. It was a nice-looking city, big and probably filled with people; so far, I hadn't revealed any hidden skills for being a people person. I considered asking to stay back, to guard Appa or something, but I couldn't leave Aang alone. I had a bad feeling, and considering that my instincts were usually spot on, I was reluctant to let Aang go off on his own. Well, not on his own - he had Katara and Sokka. Somehow, that wasn't comforting. Although he did have Momo...

"You need a disguise," Sokka said. "If people find out you're the Avatar, we'll have lots of fans and enemies alike coming after us."

"Wow, Sokka, you're thinking ahead," I pointed out. "Isn't that a first for you?" He glared at me. Hoping I didn't sound too mean- Fang had told me brothers and sisters often teased each other, and I was hoping our group would become a family- I continued. "But you're right. Aang, all you have to do is cover your arrow. Without them, no one will have a clue. Anyone have paint?" Of course, no one did, but that was to be expected. So my other idea was the next option.

* * *

"Aang, you look fine. If I knew what our grandfather looked like, I'm sure I would say that you look like him." Aang was furiously itching at the hair Appa had so generously allowed us to use to disguise Aang.

"How does Appa live in this stuff?" he exclaimed. I shrugged. Then, I approached the top of the hill that had hidden our view of the city.

"Well, let's go and get this over with," I said, beckoning to the others. Everyone followed, although Katara might have come a bit more slowly. Maybe. I ignored it and headed toward the gate.

* * *

"My cabbages!" the man screamed. His cart tumbled over the edge of the walk, cabbages spilling as they fell into the abyss.

"Friendliest people in the world?" I whispered to Aang. He smiled nervously. I would've rolled my eyes, but Aang, Katara, and Sokka just continued forward, towards the angry-looking guards. Why do guards have to be angry-looking? Can't they ever be friendly?

"State your business," the taller guard said gruffly. He Earthbended a rock over Aang's head. I clenched my fist, ready to divert it should it drop, even as I analyzed the soldier. Tall, strong, and by certain standards handsome, I formed a plan in my mind. But Aang had things under control.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you to mind your own business?" Aang said in a cranky old man voice. "In my day, young people kept their mouths shut! Seen and not heard, in the good old days. I've got half a mind to set you straight, with soap and water and a good paddle!" He would've continued, scaring the guard more than he already looked, had I not stepped in.

"I'm sorry, sir. Grandfather had seen many a day, and he tends to... live the past." The guard nodded in understanding.

"Old-timers, eh?" he chuckled. "What's your name, young lady?" I smiled all lady-like.

"My name is Jinn, good sir. Jinn P-" I never got to say "Pei", because Aang interrupted.

"That's Jinn Pippenpaddleopsikopolis, that is, my fine granddaughter. And that there's her sister, June." Katara seemed a little put out that I was the fine granddaughter, but she didn't complain. I just kept smiling. "And there's me grandson, Jak. And me, heh. I'm Bonzoo Pippenpaddleopsikopolis. The Third!" I patted Aang on the shoulder before he could poke the soldier's eye out with his staff as he waved it around.

"I'm sure he understands, Grandfather," I said, meaning _Shut up so I can do the talking._ Aang nodded slightly, and I went with the story I had invented. "I apologize for Grandfather's abrupt statement, but our business here is that Mother and Father are waiting for us inside, since they're scared of traveling in this war and such. We left to fetch Grandfather from Kyoshi, where Mother and Father were born. It took longer then expected to get back, due to precautions and close calls, but we've finally made it home! I don't suppose you remember us from waaaaaay back, do you?" I smiled even wider than before. The soldier scratched his head.

"No, I don't recall, but I'm sure it was a charming trip." I nodded.

"That it was. That it was..." I'm not quite sure if I saw correctly, but I thought I saw a bit of color come to the soldier's cheeks. He almost seemed to shake his head, as if clearing his thoughts.

"Enjoy Omashu," he said and waved us in. The walls opened up, one at a time, and after all three were open, we saw a marvelous sight.

"We will," I said to the guard, and beckoned to the others, who had watched the show with amazement. "June, Jak, Grandfather; Mother and Father await us!" They followed, without hesitation, as we entered the city of Omashu. The doors closed behind us with a _thud_, a _thud_, and a muffled _thud_.

"The Omashu mail system," Aang announced in his regular voice. Our eyes followed the chutes up, up, until they were too high to see. Heavens, there was a lot of space. And where there's space, there's bound to be people. "Earthbending brings the packages up; gravity brings them down." I thought it was interesting, even though I had already heard it all from Fang, but Sokka wasn't impressed.

"Great, so they get their mail on time," he said, folding his arms.

"They do get their mail on time," Aang said, his eyes gleaming. "But my friend Bumi found a better use for these chutes." I had to blink my eyes. Aang's memories were strong, and I caught glimpses of a strange, wild-haired kid with two different-colored eyes and a snorting laugh.

"The world's greatest super slide?" I said to Aang. He smiled proudly, and I felt a longing to have had his life. But the past was the past. Shaking off all of these thoughts, I said cheerfully, "What are we waiting for? The slide isn't getting any taller!" Aang began to run, and we went after. I let myself fall back little by little as I thought about everything. Where I was. Why I was doing this. What I was going to do. I had gotten to the point of thinking about Zuko when a cabbage cart moved in front of me and I had to stop. It was the man from the gate! When he saw me, he smiled.

"Care for a cabbage?" he said. "I have a special deal, just for today!" I stared at the vegetable he held out.

"How did you get new cabbages so fast?" I asked. "I saw you at the gate. I watched those cabbages go over the edge!" The cabbage man blinked.

"Oh, the cabbages were fine," he said. My jaw dropped. I looked at the cabbage again, then back at the man. I considered looking back at the cabbage, but decided I'd seen enough.

"I have somewhere to be, if you'll excuse me," I said to the man before swiftly going around his cart and continuing. By then, Aang and the others had disappeared. I cursed to myself and reached out with my mind. Aang and the others were high up, too high for me to catch up. They discussed looking for me, until Sokka, _brilliant_ Sokka, suggested that they watch out for me as they went down the mail system. There was no way to tell where they'd end up among all the chutes, so I decided to go higher anyway. That way, I could see what was below me.

I was about in the middle ring of Omashu's levels when I saw Aang, Katara, and Sokka fly by on a mail chute, screaming bloody murder. Lovely. The force of the wind they brought as they went past was strong enough to force me backwards. I stumbled, and fell, fell down until the earth rushed up and I saw nothing but black.

* * *

"Oh, help me," I groaned as I struggled to get the fog out of my brain.

"I'd be happy to help," said a voice, and I forced my eyes open. "I don't recommend falling off cities. It's a dangerous pastime."

"Thank you. Very helpful," I replied dryly. My eyes finally blinked away the mist, and I gasped at what they saw. A wrinkled old man stood above me, wearing flowing purple robes and a ridiculously large hat. I hadn't a clue who it was, until I saw his eyes.

"Are you... Bumi?" I asked hesitantly. The old man smiled.

"Well, it took you a lot less time to figure it out than my last guest. He's waiting to see you, by the way." That sounded lovely. What had Aang been up to?

"Linn, what happened?" Aang's voice said in a worried tone. His face came into view.

"Do you want the truth or a bedtime story?" I said testily. "To be honest, you almost killed me. To be less honest, once upon a time, a young girl found a platypus-bear wandering the Omashu streets and it told her its nest was at the top of the city, so the two had a great adventure going to the top, but when they reached the nest, the platypus-bear eggs hatched and attacked the girl, who fell almost to her death. Now, which do you prefer?" Aang had a hurt expression, and I almost immediately regretted my words. "Sorry, sorry. I _wish_ it had been a platypus-bear. Looks like I'm going to have fun using my arm for a while." I glanced down at the bandages holding my right arm to my body.

"Linn, where were you?" Aang asked, looking down at me with big doe eyes that made me feel even worse, if possible. "We lost you when we went to the mail system, and Sokka said to look for you as we went down, so we did, but we crashed into a cabbage man and he had us arrested! But then it turned out the king was my old friend Bumi and he tested me, and there was a lunch key, and a bunny that I thought was Flopsy but wasn't, and a duel, and I fought Bumi, and I almost lost, and-"

"Slow down, soldier. You'll have plenty of time to tell me all the details on the road. Speaking of which, shouldn't we get going soon?" Aang looked at me, then at my arm, then at me. "Ah. How long until I can actually go somewhere?" That was when Bumi stepped in.

"You should feel lucky that's all you hurt. The doctor's orders are to stay here for a day or so to make sure your arm _is_ it, and that it gets no worse. He recommends taking it easy. Actually, his exact words were nothing bigger than walking, but I expect you'll be a good girl and not fall off cities anymore, hmm? Bye-bye, now." Bumi patted my head and walked away, humming tunelessly. I groaned. Nothing bigger than walking? Joy.

* * *

"Yes! We're leaving!" I exclaimed as soon as the news reached my ears. I might have actually jumped for joy, if it hadn't meant that I'd scream in pain. It was my fault we'd wasted a day here, and Aang didn't even know that the time had been wasted. Then again, at least I hadn't fallen off Omashu again.

I didn't have much of an opinion of the world from what I'd seen so far. People were strange. You had crazy people in charge and creepy people selling cabbages. But when everything that was going to happen was over, I could always go back to my forest, safe and reclusive. Heavens, who was I kidding? I was never really safe. The scar on my shoulder proved that. The thought sent a stabbing pain through my arm, but I didn't even grimace anymore. I was accustomed to it now. It had become a part of me.

I thought about everything as we flew on Appa. This time, when my thoughts reached Zuko, I wasn't stopped. So I thought... and wondered. Did he think about me? Did he wonder who I was? I reached out with my mind, sensing him. His thoughts were clouded, but - dare I imagine it - I thought I might have been among them. Once more, I let him know that someone thought of him.

"_**In a shooting star across the sky, in the clouds, or in a lullaby, I sight... A hint of you in the galaxy, a part of you that's part of me-... A beautiful kind of light-... I want to make the seconds last, I just don't want the thought to pass, a-wishing on a fallen star to change the truth of who you are- Still I miss you-, and I wish you- the best of what heaven might hold, I pray with all my mind... Still I miss you-, and I wish you- the best of what heaven might hold, and when we fall asleep tonight, that our souls are, are finally free-... finally free-...finally free- Still I miss you-, and I wish you- everything heaven might hold, I pray with all my might... Still I miss you-, and I wish you- everything heaven might hold, and when we fall asleep tonight, that our souls... are finally free-..."**_

The melody lingered in my mind. For a moment, I thought I had heard... but that wasn't possible. After all, everything I thought was safe in my own head, until I decided that it not be so. Unless Zuko really was... I couldn't think about that, not when so much was at stake. All I could do was wish and wish that it could change. That he was someone else. That he would be alright. But most of all, I wished that _both_ of our souls... could be finally free.


	7. Stronger

"Hey, Sokka, manage to catch an animal?" I called to him as he came back from foraging with his food sack, which looked only slightly heavier than before. Aang had insisted on a strictly no-hunting diet while we were traveling, which made Sokka very unhappy. Sokka hunted anyway when he could, but his forest hunting skills meant that most of our meat came from the market.

We were camped out in the forest, somewhere near civilization, but not close enough to get caught... or get to a market. As I had expected, Sokka didn't have a single corpse on him. He looked depressed.

"I didn't," he sighed. "_But_ I got us a few options for tonight's dinner." We crowded around to see what awaited us. From the sack he produced a nut. "We have round-shaped nuts, and, look here, there's some oval-shaped nuts, and this is a- a- well, it's a rock-shaped nut."

"Sokka, I think that's a rock," I said. He looked at it, then threw it over his shoulder. Momo looked at it, picked it up, and sniffed it suspiciously. He tapped it on a boulder, and I stifled a laugh. "Momo approves, Sokka." He turned around, and his face got a little red.

"So, what else you got?" Katara said hopefully. He rummaged around the sack, but there wasn't even a differently shaped nut. All of the sudden, a huge _BOOM!_ resounded around the clearing.

"I'm hoping that wasn't our stomachs," I said. Sokka gave me a dirty look. Hey, I was getting better at this 'teasing' stuff!

"Come on!" Aang shouted as he and Katara ran toward the source of the sound.

"Oh, joy," Sokka and I said at the same time. We looked at each other, then ran after Katara and Aang.

* * *

The Earthbender was throwing rocks around like they were pebbles. Only without touching them. They flew around the gorge, bringing clouds of dust with every impact.

"What's an Earthbender doing out here?" I thought aloud.

"He looks dangerous," Sokka said. "We should be careful, and approach cau-"

"Hello, there!" Katara shouted to the Earthbender as she stood out in the gorge. How did she even get over there without me noticing? Note to self: Be more vigilant when watching the children. "My name's Katara! What's yours?" The Earthbender gasped when he saw her. He ran off, bringing boulders down behind him to block the way.

"Lovely." I muttered. Katara looked crestfallen.

"I was just being friendly," she said. Aang ran up to her.

"Hey, that guy has to be going somewhere!" he exclaimed. It dawned on the rest of us.

"That's the way to civilization!" I shouted, and we all got excited. "No nuts for dinner!" We all cheered, except for Sokka.

"Hey, I worked hard to find those!" he protested. Momo flew past him as we all ran in the direction the Earthbender had gone. "Yeah, I hate 'em, too."

* * *

"Nice hat," I said to a man standing on the street. "I'll trade you these nuts for it." He handed it over to me without a word, which was kind of disconcerting, but, nonetheless, I took it. "Aang, put this on." I said to Aang, and wedged it onto his head.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, but Katara grabbed his arm.

"Look!" she said, and pointed to a door, closing behind the Earthbender we had seen. We all rushed over, and entered the building. He stood by a counter, behind which was a woman whose eyes were deep and sad, set in wrinkles that seemed more hard-won then aged.

"Hey," Katara said to him. "You're the kid from the gorge. Why did you run away?" He looked alarmed, and I began to wonder if this was the best idea.

"You must have me confused with some other kid," he said nervously.

"No, she doesn't," said Aang, who doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut. "We saw you Earthbending!" At that, both the Earthbender and the woman gasped. The woman quickly closed the shutters and all the windows.

"They saw you doing _what?_" she exclaimed.

"They're crazy, Mom!" he replied, pointing at us. I stuck my tongue out at him. "I mean, look at how they're dressed!" We all glanced down at ourselves, and I realized I still hadn't changed my Water Tribe clothing for something lighter. I was tempted to bend water onto his clothes just so he'd see how _he_ was dressed. But that was a no-go because my arm was still in a sling.

"You know how dangerous that is!" the woman said. "What if _they_ had caught you Earthbending?" Before the Earthbender could retort, a pounding came from the door.

"Open up!" a gruff voice said. Sokka peered through the shutters.

"Fire Nation!" he hissed. "Act natural!" The woman went to open the door. When the soldiers walked in, we were all in, ahem, _natural_ poses. Aang was leaning against a barrel, which broke under his weight and sloshed the contents on him. I remained in my, ahem, _natural_ pose.

"What is the meaning of this?" the woman demanded. "I've paid already!" The lead soldier smiled wickedly.

"The tax just doubled," the soldier said, creating a ball of flame in his hands. "We wouldn't want any... _accidents_, would we? Fire. Sometimes so hard to control." I wish I could've socked him then and there, but even if he hadn't had a ball of fire in his hands, there was the small matter of the sling on my arm. The woman glared at him in defiance, then sighed as she got out a box. She opened it up, revealing a pathetically small amount of coins. She handed him the due.

"You can have the copper ones," the soldier said, tossing them on the floor. The woman stooped to pick them up as the soldier and the guards with him left.

"Nice guy," Sokka commented once they were gone.

"How long has the Fire Nation been here?" I asked.

"Five years," the woman said grimly. "Our town's coal mines fuel their ships."

"They're thieves," the Earthbender said. "They steal from us, and everyone here is too much of a coward to do anything."

"Quiet, Haru!" the woman hushed him. "You get hurt for talk like that."

"But Haru can Earthbend!" Katara exclaimed. "Can't he help?" The woman shook her head.

"Earthbending has caused naught but misery for us. He mustn't Earthbend." Katara was shocked. The look on her face said she was going to protest, but the woman continued. "You don't understand."

"What could the Fire Nation do that they haven't done already?" The woman looked away, her eyes even sadder.

"They could take Haru away, like they took his father."

* * *

I accompanied Haru and Katara on their walk. Haru told us the story of how his father fought back, but was taken. I hung back while they talked about their parents and how they missed them. It made me wonder if my mother ever missed me. If she knew I existed. Although how you miss having a child, I don't know.

On the way back, we heard an explosion. A mine had collapsed, and an old man was trapped. I wished that my cast was off, so I could bend better; my left arm and legs could still be used, but with my bending being what it was, I needed a two-arm technique to clear the mine. Even then, who knew how reliable my bending would be? But Katara didn't know about that. It didn't matter, because we had Haru.

"Haru, you can help him," Katara pleaded.

"I can't," he protested.

"Yes, you can!" Haru took a deep breath, positioned himself in a bending stance, and Earthbended all the mine's debris into the black hole of the mine. I had to admit, it looked impressive.

"You did it!" Katara exclaimed, and hugged him. Then we all helped the old man up and on his way.

* * *

Aang, Katara, and Sokka talked about how brave Haru was, how Katara must have inspired him, and how fireballs were tastier than nuts. I lay by myself, still thinking. I did a lot of that these days, it seemed. Especially when it came to Zuko. Always Zuko. If only he wasn't who he was! But wishing never helped anything. Then again, neither did not wishing. After I had worked myself into a state once again, I squeezed my eyes shut and forced myself to sleep.

* * *

"They took him! They took him away!" Katara exclaimed as she burst into the barn. I knew instantly what she meant.

"It was the old man, wasn't it?" I said quietly. She nodded. Ugh! This was all my fault! If I hadn't fallen off Omashu, I could have saved the man! They would've come after me! I would be able to break out in no time! But Haru...

"I know how we can save him," I said matter-of-factly. Everyone turned to me. I took a deep breath. "Katara, you and I are going to get arrested for Earthbending."

* * *

Katara and I huddled together in the mine cart. Sokka and Aang watched us go off. Our plan had worked perfectly: with a little Airbending help and serious grit from me and my arm, Katara and I had a little Earthbending spat, which the soldiers bought easily.

"You didn't have to do this," Katara said to me quietly.

"Yes, I did," I responded. "But my motives don't matter right now. What matters is that we have twelve hours to save Haru." She nodded, and we both looked to see what awaits us. It didn't look pretty.

An old guy, our "warden", went _on_ and _on_ about how "enjoyable" this could be if we would just "work together", we should show him the same respect he shows us, blah blah blah. When an elderly Earthbender coughed, he sent him into solitary to "improve his manners". Working together? Same respect? No wonder the Fire Nation was at war.

When we got to the prisoner's holding area, we were greeted with the sight of dozens of broken, sad old people. But then a voice spoke.

"Katara? What are you doing here?" Haru exclaimed. Katara ran up to him and hugged him. Then she looked him in the eye.

"It's my fault you're here. So I'm going to get you out." Haru looked both shocked and impressed.

"So you got yourself arrested? You've got guts," he said admiringly. Thank you, I am invisible. It's not like it was my plan or anything. "Come one. There's someone I want you to meet."

So we met Tyro. He was kind, and offered us dinner. Well, the mush that they _called_ dinner. He was a leader. When a minor came with news or a complaint, he dealt with it quickly and quietly, making sure the weakest were taken care of. In all, he was a father to be proud of. Except for one thing.

"How can you say that?" Katara said. "Have you already given up? You _have_ to escape! You can't just put up with the Fire Nation's treatment of you!" I agreed with her, but Tyro clearly firmly believed that he was doing the right thing. Katara got a glint in her eye. She grabbed a pan and a spoon and went to an over turned box to stand on. I could only watch.

"Earthbenders!" she called out, banging the pan with the spoon. "You don't know me, but I know of you. I was rocked to sleep at night with stories of your bravery and courage. You can't give up!" She paused, then began again.

"_**You know it won't get warmer, but at least you're not alone. The world is without color, and there's so much you should want. They think they've got the best of you, they think they've had the last laugh, made you think everything good is gone. They think they've left you broken down, but you can strike back, they don't know you; prove them dead wrong... What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stand a little taller, you can still fight back 'cause you're not alone. What doesn't kill you makes you fight it, come around and bite it, it shouldn't be over, you're not gone. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger-, stronger-, you and I can fight-, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stand a little taller. You know you should fight back; you're**_ _**not alone."**_ Katara looked with hope at the faces before her, but they remained depressed and blank. I couldn't stand to see her like that, so I joined her on the box.

"_**You know you can start over, start anew-, don't just keep trudgin' on, you know you- you should turn around and bite back, come back swingin', they tried to break you, but you see,"**_ Katara smiled at me, and joined in, and I grabbed her hand, holding it as we told them:

"_**What doesn't kill you makes you makes you stronger, stand a little taller, you can still fight back, 'cause you're not alone. What doesn't kill you makes you fight it, come around and bite it, it shouldn't be over, you're not gone. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger-, stronger-, you and I can fight-, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stand a little taller, you can still fight back 'cause you're not alone. Me and you can get a new thing started. They can't break you, they can't break your heart and- With you, we can make them see. In the end, there'll be a new beginning... In the end-... What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stand a little taller, you can still fight back, 'cause you're not alone. What doesn't kill you makes you fight it, come around and bite it, it shouldn't be over, you're not gone. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger-, stronger-, you and I can fight-, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stand a little taller, you can still fight back, 'cause you're not alone. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger-, stronger-, you and I can fight-, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stand a little taller, you can still fight back, 'cause you're not alone. You're not alone..."**_

"You are not alone, Earthbenders!" Katara declared. "The Avatar has returned! The time to fight back is _now!_ The Fire Nation will _fear_ your courage! Let us fight for our freedom!" After that, I felt a rush of excitement. They had to understand now! I mean, come on; nothing says courage like a song and two teenage girls. But as our speech ended, the faces just turned away, with no new light. I felt Katara's hand slip from mine.

"You did your best," I said to her. But the sadness on her face was too much. She looked at me, and shook her head.

"I failed," she whispered.

"_No,_" I whispered fiercely. "You never fail when you have done what you can." But Katara looked away, and I knew she blamed herself for this. I wished there was a way to tell her _I_ was the one at fault. But I believed my secret was for Aang's ears alone.

* * *

Aang woke us with a light tap to the shoulder each. Or rather, he woke Katara. I hadn't been able to fall asleep, and I had sensed him coming.

"Time's up," Sokka whispered. "Where's Haru? We have to go!" Katara looked at Sokka, then at Aang, and finally at me.

"I'm not leaving," she said. "I will not abandon these people." Aang began to argue, but I silenced him with a look. I understood how she felt. She needed to bring hope to the sad sight we had seen.

"I agree," I said, and with that, I believe we decided to help. "The simple solution is to get the Earthbenders to fight back. But they need bendables." Sokka scoffed.

"Where are we going to get some rocks for them to toss?" he said critically. "This place is made of metal. It reeks of smog!"

"Smog..." I mused. Then it hit me. "They're burning coal! In other words - earth."

* * *

It was over. Although I would've liked to have been thanked by Tyro and Haru, I didn't need the attention that Katara got. All I needed was to remember how the hopeless people on the rig had become fierce benders to save their kin, and the priceless expression on the warden's face. It amazed me. Once more, I felt a bit empty inside thinking about my mother. And when I thought about her, I could only dread having to tell Aang.

Should I regret only telling him I was his sister? At the Air Temples, girls and boys were raised separately, so he wouldn't have been shocked to meet me. And because all Air Nomads can bend, he naturally assumed I could Airbend. But he had no idea what else I could do...

If only Katara and Sokka weren't along! Katara no longer resented me, since after the prison breakout, I had quietly told her I had no feelings for Aang and never would other than sisterly love - which should have been obvious, since he was my brother, but I think I knew how she felt - and Sokka was at least comic relief, if nothing else. But how could I reveal my secret with them around? It wasn't that I didn't trust them - okay, maybe a little - but news of a half-Avatar could be squeezed out of them, or could even just pop out! And I needed help. With my Waterbending being so erratic, I needed a healer or a teacher, and having a teacher when I came to teach Aang would be somewhat redundant. At least the North Pole was our destination; healers and teachers would be plenty there! But until we got there, I had a long journey to look forward to... and I was just going to have to be a little bit stronger.


	8. Skyfall: Part 1

"Was that really necessary?" I asked Aang as he landed back on Appa, soaking wet.

"You don't know until you try." He shrugged. I rolled my eyes. I wasn't really mad, obviously, but watching him throw himself off Appa just to find out what clouds were made of made me a little bit nervous. A little bit.

"What is _that?_" Sokka asked. I followed his gaze and gasped. The land... a huge section of it was burned and empty, devoid of life.

"It's like a scar," I breathed. Without a word, we changed our course to land.

* * *

"It's too quiet," I said as we gazed upon the incredible destruction. "You can't hear any life." Aang's expression worried me. With his spiritual raising, he was bound to feel either devastated or angry. I went up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Aang? Are you okay?" He didn't answer.

"Fire Nation!" Sokka exclaimed as he rose from his position examining the tracks. "Ugh! Those evil... evil _savages_ make me sick! They can't even respect-"

"Shh!" Katara hushed him as I stood behind Aang.

"What? I not allowed to be angry?" Sokka said. Aang sank to the ground and scooped up a handful of ash before letting it slip through his fingers.

"Why would anyone do this?" he said. "How could I let this happen?"

"Aang, it's not your fault," I said. "You didn't _let_ it happen."

"It has nothing to do with you," Katara added.

"Yes, it does!" Aang responded. "It's the Avatar's job to protect all life. But I haven't a clue how to do my job." I had to bite back a reply about how_ I_ could teach him.

"That's why we're heading for the North Pole," Katara said. "We'll get you a teacher." She smiled, trying to cheer him up.

"Yeah, a _Waterbending_ teacher," Aang said, not the least bit cheered up. "No one can teach me how to be the Avatar." I had to really control myself there. It was MY job to do that, but I couldn't! I closed my eyes to think. A series of images flashed before them: a comet, Avatar Roku, a black and white spirit, and, most strangely, the old man traveling with Zuko. I fought the wave of blackness threatening to plunge me into unconsciousness. When I opened my eyes, it all vanished.

"I don't know," Aang said, responding to some comment of Sokka's. We sat in silence for a while. I imagined the old man. How did I even know there was an old man traveling with Zuko? His name hit me. Uncle Iroh. Zuko called him that. Zuko was calling him that right now.

"Ready to be cheered up?" Katara said to Aang. Aang slumped further.

"No," he replied sullenly. A nut hit him in the head and I stifled a laugh. "Ow! How is that cheering me up?"

"Cheered me up," Sokka said, laughing openly, before a nut hit him. "Yeah, I deserved that." Katara walked over to Aang and sat down beside him.

"These are everywhere," Katara said, holding out an acorn. "Every one of them will grow up to be a tree someday. The forest will grow back." I saw Aang's eyes light up with unspoken thanks, and he hugged Katara. I smiled. It was nice to see Aang giving Katara the attention she wanted.

"I thought it was impossible..." said a voice. We all looked up to see an old man with a walking stick. He walked over to Aang and gazed at him thoughtfully. "Tell me... are you the Avatar, child?" Aang looked at me and Katara, and we both nodded with approval. He turned back to the man and nodded in affirmation.

"My village needs your help!"

* * *

"This... is the Avatar," the man announced as we walked into the main house. The crowd there murmured among themselves. A man with a pale face stepped forward.

"Then the rumors are true," he said. "It is the greatest honor to be in your presence."

"Nice to meet you, too," Aang said. "So... is there something I can help you with?" The two men looked at each other.

"Please, young Avatar," the old man began. "For the last three days, every sundown, a monster comes and attacks the village! He is the black and white spirit... Hei Bai." Once more, the spirit from my vision appeared in my sight, once as a monster, once as a gentle creature. Which was weird, and didn't help whatsoever.

"Each time," the man continued, "He has taken one of our own. We do not know why he attacks us, but we are afraid, for the winter solstice draws near." I inhaled sharply, realizing what that meant.

"Our world and the spirit world draw nearer," I explained, as Aang, Katara, and Sokka gave me questioning looks. "On the solstice, the line between is blurred completely. If Hei Bai is already causing destruction now, there's no telling what he'll do then!" The men nodded in agreement.

"We need you," the old man said to Aang. "Who better to solve a problem between our two worlds than the great bridge, the Avatar himself!" Aang looked unsure.

"Hey, Great Bridge Guy," Katara whispered. "Can I talk to you for a second?" Aang, Sokka, and I followed her to an unoccupied corner.

"I'm just so... I don't know, nervous," Aang confessed. "I don't know anything about the Spirit World!" This is the part where his sister heroically offers to help. What a gal, what a gal!

"I'm with you on this," I said to him. "I can help." When he gave me the _And-how-exactly-do-you-expect-to-know-better-than-me_ look, I offered, "Standard Eastern Air Temple training. It's a girl thing." Katara raised her eyebrows skeptically, and I nodded.

"You can do it," she said. She smiled at Aang. Sokka smiled too.

"Yeah, we're all gonna get eaten by a spirit monster."

* * *

"Hello? Mr. Spirit Monster? I want to talk to you?" Aang called out as we walked down the streets together. I rolled my eyes.

"That's not going to get a spirit to come out. Not even the 'Mr.' Look, if you want to-" Aang stuck his tongue out, and redoubled his efforts. I took a deep breath. Be patient, Linn. He'll learn in time.

"I'm the Avatar, and I'm here to try to help stuff!" Yeah, looks like that's working great for you. Cough, cough, keeping my thoughts to myself. "Where are you, Hei Bai?" It echoed eerily. Aang looked surprised.

"Well. I hereby _please_ ask you to leave this village. In peace!" He spun his staff for effect. "I guess that's that." He turned to leave. I wasn't so sure. I watched the forest, and backed away when the spirit emerged. And it was _huge._

"Aang!" I cried as the thing _stepped over me. _He turned around, and had a smile on his face.

"You must be Hei Bai," he said in a friendly tone. "My name is-" The spirit roared in his face. Ouch. Hei Bai began going about wrecking buildings, while Aang tried to get his attention. Aang yelled for him to turn around, and when Hei Bai didn't respond, he "commanded" him to turn around. Hei Bai turned around, and smacked Aang with one of his four arms. Aang went flying.

"That's it," I muttered. I ran over to where Aang had fallen. "We'll fight him together, Aang." Aang looked worried.

"I don't want to fight. I-" I felt a huge arm grab me.

"Aang!" I screamed. Hei Bai began running, which was not a pleasant sensation for me. The forest whipped by, and my right arm jostled painfully in its sling. I heard Aang call out behind me.

"Hold on, Linn! I'm coming!" I reached out my left hand as far as I could, and Aang reached out his. Our fingers were so close, and they touched, and- he was gone. Hei Bai was gone. I had fallen, and landed on soft terrain. I looked around. There was an open road, but no one was around. I opened my mind, searching for Aang. But he wasn't anywhere. I couldn't sense him. It was like he didn't exist.

* * *

I wandered for a while. Eventually, I reached down for a rock to throw at something. My hand passed right through.

"What the-?" I stared at my hand. Was it just me, or did it look... blue? I reached for a tree. Right through. It was the same. The only thing that remained solid for me was the ground. I heard sounds from up the road. I went to hide behind a tree. Then I decided standing in it would be a better disguise.

A couple of ostrich-horses went by... and one of them had Uncle Iroh on its back! He was tied up, and, scarily, was wearing only a loincloth. I averted my eyes. One of the Earth Kingdom guards with him looked my way, but didn't blink. However, when Uncle Iroh turned to look, his eyes widened. I tried to sink deeper into the tree, but he motioned with his eyes to follow him. So I did, walking on the open road totally unseen.

The group stopped once to check his shackles. When they did that, I got close and whispered in his ear.

"Why do you want me to follow? And what are you doing here?" He raised an eyebrow at me before looking at the soldiers. I could have slapped myself. Of course he can't talk to thin air! And these soldiers didn't look like they were his friends. I tried again. "If you need me to get Zuko, nod slightly." He gave an almost imperceptible movement. I closed my eyes, reaching out. For some weird reason, I could find him. He was on the right track, but just in case, I sent a few thoughts his way to ensure he would stay on the path.

When I opened my eyes again, Uncle Iroh was studying me. Then I heard a voice speak in my mind. _Who are you?_ I gasped. Inwardly.

_My name is Linn,_ I tried to respond. _How are you speaking like this?_

_Once, many years ago, I was pulled into the Spirit World, as you have been._

_The Spirit World? That's what happened to me! How did you get pulled into the Spirit World?_

_When I was young, so many years ago, I returned hot and rebellious from a battle. I needed to calm myself. I went to the Fire Sages' Temple to meditate. With the permission of the Fire Sages, I entered a sacred room with a special Avatar statue in it. During my meditation, I became so... well, there is no word for what it was like. I entered the Spirit World, and was trapped for many days. Eventually I discovered the way out with the aid of a very helpful spirit. Ever since the experience, I have had a special connection to all minds, but mostly those close to me. So, how did you come to be in the Spirit World?_

_I was kidnapped by a spirit monster._

_I see._

_How do I leave?_

_You must either get the spirit to help you back, or figure out the reason for which it has taken you, and please it._

_Ah. How do I do that?_

_To be honest... I don't know. This is the job of the Avatar. The Avatar is the great bridge between-_

_Yes, I know that. So if I get the Avatar to please the spirit or whatever, I come back?_

_That sounds correct._

_Okay, then. Thank you for your help._

_It's always a pleasure to help a stranger out by speaking in their mind._

The group approached a part of the path that went along the edge of a cliff, so I left. I waved at Uncle Iroh, and turned around to leave. Suddenly, bamboo sprang up in front of me, and when I pushed through, I was back at the village. Along with me emerged three other people. Katara's face lit up.

"Linn!" she exclaimed. She ran up and hugged me, which I think shocked Aang as much as it did me. "We were so worried." she said, pulling back. I didn't object to the "we".

"So, what happened?" I asked.

"You were trapped in the Spirit World for twenty-four hours."

"No, other than that."

"Aang convinced Hei Bai that the forest would grow back, and you guys appeared." Good enough for me.

"Thank you, Avatar," the pale-faced man said. "How can we ever repay you?"

"You could give us supplies," Sokka suggested. "And some money." I elbowed him.

"Sokka!" Katara protested.

"What?" he said. "We need stuff." The villagers fell over themselves saying how great an honor it would be to help us.

"I'm proud of you," Katara said to Aang. "You figured out what to do, all on your own!"

"Actually, I had help," Aang said. "There was a dragon, Avatar Roku's animal guide, who helped me." _Fang! _"But there's something else. There's a temple on a crescent-shaped island, and if I go there on the solstice, I can talk to Roku." Everyone got excited, although they didn't mention that the solstice was tomorrow. But Aang wasn't finished.

"And there's just one problem," he continued. "The island is in the Fire Nation."


	9. Skyfall: Part 2

I watched from the shadows as Aang pulled and tugged at Appa. He tried reasoning, threatening, and bribes, but Appa knew better. Good girl.

"Get your flub off the ground and let's go!" Aang swore angrily. Finally, I stepped out into the open.

"I think her- his flub is trying to tell you something." Aang let go of the reins he was tugging on and fell on the ground. Katara appeared from behind.

"Don't go, Aang," she begged. "I- The world can't afford to lose you." She bit her lip, and I knew that wasn't the only thing on her mind. Aang's eyes nearly revealed what I saw in his mind: a vision of a comet, like the one I had seen.

"But I have to talk to Roku to find out what my vision means!" Aang protested. "I need to get to the temple before sunset on the solstice, as in today!" He leapt nimbly onto Appa's back, and whipped the reins. I ran in front of Appa, and Katara and Sokka followed.

"You're not going to the Fire Nation, Aang," I said, envisioning the pictures Fang had shown me when she explained how dangerous the outside world was.

"At least, not without your friends," Sokka said. I swore. Inwardly. "We've got your back." Momo landed on Aang's shoulder, and he smiled. Appa gave Sokka a huge lick of gratitude, which made him squirm with disgust. Pale-Face, as I now called the pale-faced man, stepped forward, offering a basket of food to us.

"It is a long journey," Pale-Face said seriously. "You must fly fast to reach it in time; I wish you luck." Aang smiled at Pale-Face thankfully. He began to voice his thanks, but Pale-Face interrupted. "Go!" With that, we climbed aboard and took off for our destination.

* * *

"Faster!" Aang urged Appa. "Faster, boy!" _Girl_, I corrected silently. But there were more pressing things to worry about. Such as Zuko had just visited the village and was on his way after us now. Or that the solstice was today. Or that Momo was going to eat all the leechee nuts.

* * *

"Aang, we've got trouble!" Katara shouted over the wind. Zuko had caught up... and was planning to give us fireballs for breakfast.

"And it's gaining fast!" Sokka added, as the three of us watched the small ship approach. Suddenly, a ball of flame hurdled toward us.

"Fireball!" Katara screamed, and Aang swerved away, allowing the flames to just barely pass by.

"We've got to get away before he shoots another!" I called to Aang, my eyes streaming from the smoke. Aang glanced back, his eyes worried.

"Just one problem with that plan," he said. He turned his head back around, and I followed his gaze. I swore - inwardly - as I echoed the words Zuko spoke.

"A blockade."

* * *

"We have to fly north, around them! It's the only way!" Aang looked back at all of us, his eyes filled with worry. Katara shook her head.

"There's no time!" I sensed Aang's building frustration.

"This is exactly why I wanted you to stay! This is too dangerous!" I smiled almost ironically.

"That's why we're here." Sokka and Katara looked determined. Sokka grasped his Water Tribe machete in his hand, pounding it on his palm.

"Let's run this blockade," he said. Seconds after his dramatic announcement, a rain of fireballs came our way from the direction of the blockade. We all screamed as Appa evaded most of them, catching sparks on her fur. Momo and Sokka worked together to put out the sparks they could reach. I was more concerned with the fireballs still coming.

"Appa, are you alright?" Aang asked Appa, rubbing her head. Appa rumbled in affirmation, and we flew up out of the clouds. A sudden fireball spun us through the sky, and an explosion threw us to the side... and Sokka overboard! He screamed as he fell, and disappeared beneath the clouds.

"Sokka!" all three of us cried, and Aang wheeled Appa around and back down, Katara reaching out for Sokka's arm as he came into view. Their hands locked, and Sokka was pulled back onto Appa. We came so close to the water that a leaping fish hit Sokka in the face, and Momo jumped into the air to catch it.

Appa continued to swerve above the water, and slowly began to climb again. Then a fireball came hurtling toward us, and Aang flew off Appa, his leg aimed right at the flaming target.

"Aang!" I cried, afraid that he would attempt to kick the fireball. But Aang instead Airbended, causing the fireball to detonate, the pieces falling around us. Inertia caught up with Aang, and he was blown back into Appa.

"Don't you _ever_ do that again," I warned him. He grinned sheepishly. Suddenly, he punched the air.

"We made it!" I looked around, surveying the landscape entirely consisting of ocean. I sighed.

"We made it into the Fire Nation. Great."

* * *

The clouds had begun to pink with sunset when we all perked up.

"There it is!" Aang exclaimed. "Roku's island!" Appa swooped down, tired as she was, and we prepared to discover why Aang had been called here.

"No guards," I remarked as we crept up to the steps.

"I guess the Fire Nation abandoned it when Roku died," Katara replied.

"It's almost sundown!" Aang said. "We need to hurry!" We all rushed into the temple.

It was quiet inside, until Sokka whispered, "Stop! I think I heard something!" Katara, Aang, and I turned around to see five creepy old guys standing in the doorway. The one at the front spoke.

"We are the Fire Sages, guardians of the Avatar's temple," he declared in a deep voice. Aang smiled warmly.

"Great!" Aang exclaimed, clearly ignoring the men's hostile expressions. "I'm the Avatar!" The Sage smiled grimly.

"We know." Simultaneously, the Sages blasted fire at us, which Aang bended away. Katara, Sokka, and I all instinctively ran. When Aang didn't follow, I began to reverse directions.

"I'll hold them off!" Aang shouted as he Airbended, knocking the Sages off their feet. Inwardly, I fought between helping Aang and getting to what we came for. A feeling inside me cut in to tell me I was wasting time, and I made a split decision.

"I'm going to find the room! I promise I'll come back for you!" I once more ran away from the battle and conjured up an image of the map in my head. This was the Fire Temple. The nearest secret/not-so-secret passage was built in not far from here, but I could save time by employing the special way of travel. Again, I waged war inside my head. I would be left weakened, but if we missed the solstice, we wouldn't be able to wait half a year to talk with Roku. Not with what was coming... It was worth the risk.

I made a sudden turn in a hallway, fully aware that now everyone would be looking for me. I ignored the nagging urge to go help them and stopped running. I breathed in slowly through my nose. I cleared my mind. I exhaled through my mouth. Felt my chi inside me, flowing through the chakras. _In_. I wanted to be in the meditation room. _Out_. I was going to be there. _In_. I willed every ounce of my body to become pure chi.

A swirling sensation rocked my body. Despite my lack of physical form, I felt like I was going to be sick. But Fang had taught me well enough that I blocked out the pain and emotions and concentrated on my work. I had no eyes, yet I saw curlicue designs flash in front of my eyes, my own chi twisting and churning into mysterious shapes while I was pulled with it; I had no ears, yet the roaring I heard was incomparable.

None of this was new to me, of course. It had been the reason I had caught up to Aang when I had been in the Eastern woods. The reason Aang and I could be at the North Pole. The reason I wished Katara and Sokka weren't here. Only benders could do it, and even then, only powerful benders. It was always a struggle for me, but I was half-Avatar; if anyone should be able to master it, it would be a bender of all four elements. And that was exactly the point: Aang was supposed to be taught _everything_... by _me_. Well, I'd done a great job so far, hadn't I?

My thoughts snapped back into the present as my sight returned, and I saw that I was standing in the center of a room. Light shone from behind me in a concentrated beam to meet the statue of Avatar Roku, emblazoned with flames. I let my gaze return to the beam of light. I could see that it needed to hit the center of Roku's amulet, but wasn't quite there yet. Did I have time to wait? I felt torn inside. Already, I had abandoned Aang, Katara, and Sokka to the crazy Sages, and now it may not have been the right choice. On an impulse, I felt for Aang's mind and looked through his eyes.

Aang, Katara, Sokka, and a strange man wearing the robes of the Fire Sages were standing outside a huge door. The door was adorned with flames and interlocking metal pieces, almost like... the door to the room I was in! I almost shouted; not because my abandonment had been for nothing, but because I remembered the door could only be opened by five Firebenders or a fully realized Avatar. My choice had been right!

I let my mind slip out of Aang's and turned back to the statue. The beam was even closer to the amulet, but not yet there. I didn't want to wait, but I sat down on the floor and assumed a meditating position anyway. Suddenly, the room was filled with fog. The walls melted away, and a figure appeared before me. Expecting Roku, I stood up and stepped forward. The figure stepped forward as well, and it was revealed to be not Roku, but Avatar Meifeng, an Airbender Avatar from many centuries ago. She smiled kindly, her long black strands blown by a nonexistent wind.

"Linn," she said in a soft voice. "I expect you are surprised to see me." I nodded mutely. "Do not worry, Aang will meet with Roku. But I have chosen to meet with you because I am the most like you." I was confused.

"The most like me?" I said, wondering what it could mean. "I'm not even an Avatar. And you can't tell me _you_ were raised in a forest for twelve years?" She laughed, her laugh a sweet bell-like sound that seemed to echo.

"No. That I was not," she said, still smiling. Then her expression grew serious. "But in the future, you will find you take a path similar to mine. It will be a tough road, and you will experience pain and sorrow." My eyes widened at this description of my future. "But in the end, yours will be a life worth living, I promise you. Many thing are going to happen, Linn, and you will play a part in them. But I warn you: though you will have a great effect on the world, you will not be remembered." If her earlier statements hadn't startled me, this one did.

"I won't be remembered?" I asked, my voice slightly trembling. "No one will know of me?" Meifeng reached out a hand to stroke my hair, a gesture no one had ever offered me before.

"Your actions will be brave ones, and that is all you need to think of. But for now, you must focus on your task... teaching your brother and saving the world. The skyfall is coming, and you two are the ones who can prevent it." She clasped my left hand in hers; my right hand clenched in its position in my sling.

"_**It will be the end. Shh, close your eyes, and count- to ten. All the world will move- and then, hear the pain you can- prevent**_-._** For it is the end, you've seen it, dreamt the mo-ment-**_._**"**_

"_**My help's overdue; I owe them-,"**_ I whispered to myself. Meifeng nodded.

"_**Hurry, before you're sto-len-; here comes the skyfall. It will crumble. You must stand tall-, face it all, together. Coming skyfall, it will crumble. You will stand tall-, face it all, together**_,_** at skyfall..."**_

"_**At skyfall..."**_ I echoed. _**"Is skyfall where we start? A thousand miles to go, or not?"**_ Meifeng squeezed my hand in assurance.

"_**Worlds will collide, and days will be dark,"**_ she said calmly, gazing into my eyes, _**"There's no given number. They will call your name, and they will ask your heart- when the sky falls**_,_** and it**_ _**crumbles, you must stand tall-, face it all, together. At the skyfall, when it crumbles, you will stand tall-, face it all, together, at skyfall..."**_ I could feel the meaning of her words echoing in the air. I realized that I had to ignore my personal feelings about everything and devote my all to Aang, and to the world. The irony of it all was that neither had known I had existed until recently.

"_**Where he goes, I go,"**_ I promised. _**"What he sees, I see. I guess I can never be me, never feel security. But I need no loving arms, I will keep him from harm. I'll put my hand in his hand, and we'll stand- At the skyfall, when it crumbles, I will stand tall- keep it all together. At the skyfall, when it crumbles, I must stand tall-, face it now or never, at skyfall... At skyfall- I will stand tall- At skyfall-..."**_ I accepted my task, and looked into Meifeng's eyes. Hers blinked at me in understanding. Suddenly, I felt a rush of air.

"The Fire Sages are opening the door!" Meifeng said, her face etched with worry. "Flee the room, quickly! Aang needs your help!" Light began to blaze from one side, and the fog melted away. I was in the room once more, and outside the door awaited five angry Fire Sages.

"It's one of the girls! But where is the Avatar?" one shouted angrily. "We've been tricked!" Momo leapt from the room - I hadn't realized she was even there - onto the face of one of the Sages. Katara and Sokka came up from behind and wrestled down two Sages, while one of the Sages turned on the other.

"Aang, now's your chance!" Katara yelled. Evidently, they had planned to trick the Sages into letting them in the room. Where was Aang? I reached out for him, but he wasn't far away. Aang appeared from behind a pillar, held tightly by the person I couldn't have wanted to see less: Zuko.

"The Avatar is coming with me," he snarled. All of the Fire Sages who had been subdued sprang up, and suddenly everyone else was in a headlock, too. I was frozen, unable to do anything but watch. Zuko began to drag Aang to the stairs.

"Close the doors!" he ordered. "Now!" I sped towards Zuko, despite my returned exhaustion from the earlier trip, and he turned to look at me. I saw it all in his eyes: the pain, the confusion, the fire. Aang took advantage of his distraction and smoothly pulled out of Zuko's grip, sending him flying down the stairs. I flinched, but put aside the pain I felt through my connection to Zuko. Aang ran towards Katara and Sokka where they had been chained to a pillar.

"Go!" Katara shouted. Aang swiftly changed courses, diving through the little remaining space between in the doors. The doors slammed shut, and I was seized roughly by a Sage. Katara and I spoke in unison as the door sealed with a bright flash: "He made it!"

Zuko and four of the Fire Sages blasted away at the door, but it refused to open. Though I had been added to the pillar, unable to fight in my weakened state, I stood ready to make a move should I need to spend my remaining energy.

"Why won't it open?" Zuko said angrily.

"It must have been the light," a Fire Sage said. "Avatar Roku himself is keeping us out." Zuko turned on the Fire Sage who had helped Aang.

"Why did you help the Avatar?" The Sage bowed his head.

"Because it was once the Sages' duty." He looked up in defiance. "It is _still_ the Sages' duty." A slow, steady clapping echoed off the walls.

"What a moving performance," said a deep voice. The three of us chained to the pillar simultaneously turned out heads to see a tall, menacing man followed by soldiers. "I'm sure the Fire Lord will understand when you tell him why you betrayed him."

"Commander Zhao," one Sage said humbly.

"And Prince Zuko," Zhao said with a smirk. "Oh, and by the way; nice try, but your little smokescreen didn't work. Two traitors in one day. The Fire Lord will be pleased." Two Sages stepped up and grabbed Zuko, whose eyes burned with fury. Everyone I cared about was either out of sight or in chains. What a comforting thought.

"Well, you're too late!" Zuko spat in fury. "The Avatar's inside and the doors are sealed!" Zhao smiled darkly.

"No matter," he said. "Sooner or later, he has to come out." Katara, Sokka, and I exchanged looks. How was Aang going to get out?

An eerie chanting began. The soldiers took up offensive positions, their mask hiding any feelings they might have felt about attacking a twelve-year-old.

"When those doors open," Zhao said in a scarily calm voice, "Unleash all your firepower." Katara reached over to squeeze my hand. I let her because I knew it was because she needed it.

"How's Aang gonna make it out of this?" she said, her voice quiet and fearful.

"I wish I knew," I answered. But the question was also: How are _we _going to make out of this? Suddenly, steam hissed out from underneath the door. The bright light from before once again shone out. Within myself, I felt immense power stir. The Sages, soldiers, Zhao, and Zuko all shielded their eyes, but I looked. What had Aang learned?

"Ready?" Zhao commanded. "Fire!" Katara cried out and Sokka struggled, but I remained still. I hadn't spied on Aang's conversation with his past life, but it was clear that he needed no help.

The soldiers and Zhao gave the opening doors everything they had. The fire wrapped itself into a ball. When it cleared away, the figure revealed was not Aang, but Roku! I could not stifle a cry as my own eyes started to heat, threatening to glow with Avatar power. All the others were in too much shock to notice.

"Avatar Roku," whispered the chained Sage. Roku released a wave of fire. The soldiers panicked, but the fire did not harm us; instead, it melted away our chains. Zuko ran for it, while we stood in shock. The temple shook.

"Roku is going to destroy the temple!" the turned Sage shouted over the commotion. "We must leave!" Katara's face held mixed emotions.

"Not without Aang!" All of us directed our gaze at Roku. His hand moved, and a split in the floor opened up, melting away in a lava flow. I could feel lava bursting from thousands of veins underneath the temple. The bending taking place was incredibly powerful. Was this really Aang?

A huge column of lava blasted out of the floor, and we ducked our heads and took shelter behind a pillar. But I suddenly felt a change. I looked up to see Roku stand tall, and sigh. Not sadly, but... in a way, it felt like it meant, _It is done._ With that sigh, the smoke curling across the tiles was suddenly sucked up into him, cloaking him. When it cleared, all that remained was Aang, whose eyes held on the glow for a last moment before he crumpled to the floor. Katara, Sokka, and I rushed over to help him stand.

"We got your back," Sokka said as he drooped one of Aang's arms over his shoulder.

"Thanks," Aang murmured. "Where's Shyu?" The turncoat Sage?

"I don't know," Katara said, taking Aang's other arm as they walked him across. I couldn't help physically, but I tried to funnel some of my remaining strength into Aang.

To escape, we headed to the stairs. Unfortunately, the stairs were drowning in lava. The only other way out was a huge hole in the wall. We took it.

At the edge of the hole, we discovered what I had feared: the building was sinking. Thankfully, Appa and Momo were to the rescue, and we slid down the roof onto Appa's back. Appa flew away from the island, and we looked back upon the destruction. The island dripped with lava, and smoke rose into the air. But the smoke wasn't just from the volcano. Moored at the beach were three ships... _Fire Nation_ ships. But that was all behind us now. Appa flew high above the clouds, obscuring the discouraging view.

Night fell. We were all on Appa together. Wordlessly, Katara went to Aang and hugged him tightly. Sokka joined in. Even Momo flew to them. I was the only one left alone. Katara beckoned. For a moment, I was frozen. I had no right to join. I wasn't really one of them... was I? I had a duty to attend to: training Aang. And, as the Air Nomad monks might have said, responsibility must come before feelings.

Aang looked up from the tight embrace. Unbidden, feelings and thoughts flooded into me. _What happened to me? What happened to her? Why doesn't she join?_ A thread of iron in me snapped. The skyfall could wait. I threw myself into the hug.


	10. All In My Head

Sunlight was shining down gloriously through the heavens. The mountains were cloaked in mist, and the flight was a slow and easy path. Clouds lazily floated by. Sounds great, right? Nope. Aang was edgy, and when your twin you have an eternal inner connection to is fretting, you get no peace.

"Sit down already!" Sokka snapped from where he was steering. "If we hit a bump, you can send us a postcard from the ground, which is where you'll fall. What's buggin' you anyway?" Aang stopped his frantic pacing.

"It's what Avatar Roku said," he explained. "I need to master all four elements before the comet arrives." Sokka looked back and smirked.

"Well, it only took you a hundred and twelve years to master Airbending. I'm sure you'll get everything else done in no time." Aang went back to pacing, putting his hands on his head.

"I haven't even started Waterbending, and we're still weeks away from the North Pole!" I bit my lip. He was right to worry. Images from the future flashed through my head. Of course, any vision of the future can be misinterpreted because you see only snippets. But Aang had to prevent what was coming from reaching its full extent.

"What am I gonna do?" Aang exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. As they came back down, Katara grabbed his arm. She smiled, and he stopped pacing.

"It'll be okay, Aang," she said softly, her eyes shining. "I'll teach you what I know, if you want." Aang smiled back, his eyes shining, too.

"You'd do that?" She nodded. It was all so sweet, but I still wanted to protest. I was supposed to teach him. More than that, I wanted to be the one to teach him! When was the right time to reveal my powers? Where was Fang to guide me?

"We need to find a good source of water first," Katara said, crawling to the edge of the saddle. I cursed inwardly. There was no protesting now.

"Hey, maybe we can find a puddle for you to splash in," Sokka said snidely. I grinned. I knew where a nice, big puddle was.

* * *

"Okay, I admit it; nice puddle," Sokka said, gazing at the roaring waterfall. Katara and Aang stared at it with wide eyes. I smiled at the pleasure it brought. Even though I was against Katara teaching Aang, I still admired my good work.

Appa flew by, dive-bombing into the great pool the waterfall fell into. We were all sprayed. Aang whooped.

"Yeah! Don't start without me, boy!" _Girl._ I raised an eyebrow as Aang threw off his shirt and prepared to dive in.

"Don't forget the reason we're here," Katara reminded him. Aang didn't miss a beat.

"Right, Waterbending." He pulled his clothes back on, and I suppressed a sigh. Well, as long as I was here, I was going to enjoy the feeling of water on my skin. I untied my braid and walked over to the edge of the water. I dipped a toe in, even though Appa's soaking told me what the water was like.

"So, while you two splash each other, I'm supposed to...?" Sokka said, arms crossed. Aang picked up a stick tipped with leaves off the ground and held it out to him.

"You could clean the gunk out of Appa's toes," Aang offered cheerfully.

"Wait, so while you guys go have a pool party, I'm going to be hard at work cleaning mud out of a giant bison's toes?" I dove into the water. Ohhhhh, that felt good. I surfaced.

"Mud and bugs." Sokka stared skeptically at the stick.

"Okay," Sokka grabbed the stick and set to work. Appa moaned with pleasure. "Hey, don't get too happy. You've got to do me next." I dove back under the water, bringing a bubble of air with me. Inside, I thanked the all-powerful beings I didn't believe in that my bending worked. I was so happy to have my cast off, but Katara, with her incredibly annoying motherly manner, had repeatedly reminded me that if I so much as bruised it, she was going to grab my arm, wrap it up, and tie it behind my back so I couldn't do any more damage. Well, she hadn't said it like that, but it was implied.

I swam under the surface, breathing slowly so no mysterious air bubbles appeared where Katara and Aang were practicing. I opened my mind and listened in.

"Okay, this is a pretty basic move, but it still took me months to perfect." Months? Wow. Well, I guess she didn't have a teacher to make her practice like there was no tomorrow, but still. "So don't be frustrated if you don't get it right away." Hmm, idea forming... "Just push and pull the water, like this." I waited for her to demonstrate. I felt the water push and pull from where I was, but I immediately sensed the flaws in her technique. "The trick is getting the wrist movement right." Exactly, but that's one of the things you're _not_ getting right. Unbidden memories of Fang showing me over and over how to do it rose from my brain. I almost shook my head but stopped before my presence was revealed. Focus, Linn.

"Like this?" Aang's voice sounded hollow from inside his own head. The water above began to sway. I grinned impishly. I opened my mind and let my knowledge of a thousand and one techniques flow into his.

"That's almost right. You just need to practice a little, and then-"

"Hey, look, I'm bending it already!" Aang's voice was delighted. My smile was a little less mischievous now, just knowing I had helped Aang in some way.

"Wow, I can't believe you got that so quickly," Katara said, her voice practically frowning. "It took me two months to learn it."

"Well, you had to figure it out by yourself," Aang said. "I'm lucky to have such a great teacher." I knew Katara's face softened. She and Aang were meant to be. But with Aang's raising of spiritual detachment, and her lack of cute boys her own age, neither of them truly realized it. Maybe I would help it along. In good time.

"Thanks," Katara said, probably blushing slightly. Flirt. "Okay, this is a bit more difficult. I call it 'streaming the water'." Water moved once more, and I knew she was performing the move technically called 'the flying wisp'. Roughly translated. "It's harder than it looks, so don't be disappointed if-" I almost chuckled. Aang Waterbended the wisp with speed, skill, and most importantly, style. Katara's wisp dropped with a splash. I cut off my knowledge and nudged Aang into ending his show.

"Nice work," Katara said, clearly surprised. "Although the over-the-head flair wasn't necessary."

"Sorry," Aang shrugged. "Don't stop now! Keep 'em coming!" My air bubble was running low. I oh-so-carefully allowed air to filter in from the surface, keeping the funnel at the size of a pin. Hey, you can't be too careful when you're spying on your brother's lesson with his possibly future wife!

"Well, I kinda know this one other move..." Katara said, sounding unsure. "But it's pretty hard. _I_ haven't even figured it out yet." Hard? It made me wonder. But, moving on from criticizing Katara... "The idea is to create a big, powerful wave." The water trembled. I felt the effort Katara was putting into it. But didn't she realize she was- "Ugh!" So much for that move.

"So, like this?" Aang said. One last time, I told myself. I lifted Aang's arms high, and a huge wave rose up. Okay, it was bigger than I intended. But still, pretty impressive. Until it collapsed, drenching Sokka.

"Guess I got the hang of that move," Aang said proudly. I cut off the last dregs of knowledge I had shared with him, leaving some for the future. I'd had my fun, but I couldn't give him all the answers. "What else ya got?" I was going to have to do something about that grammar. It had been bugging me for a while now.

"That's enough practicing for today," Katara said darkly.

"I'll say!" Sokka cut in. "You just _practiced_ our supplies down the river!"

"Um..." Aang said sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry. But I'm sure we'll find somewhere to replace this stuff." I surfaced a few feet away from my diving point in time to catch Sokka's expression.

"My life was hard enough when you were just an Airbender."

* * *

"We have exactly three copper pieces left from the money King Bumi gave us," Sokka said, appearing from an alley. "Let's spend it wisely." I almost groaned as I realized what Aang was going to say.

"Uh, make that two copper pieces," Aang said, hands behind his back. "I couldn't say no to this whistle." He held out a small, bison-shaped whistle before sucking in a gulp of oxygen and blowing. Sokka covered his ears until he realized he could hear no sound.

"It doesn't even work," he scoffed. I thought about explaining, but decided against it. Just another wasted breath. Momo looked up at the incredibly high-pitched noise her ears could pick up. She chirruped. "See? Even Momo thinks it's a piece of junk."

"No offense, Aang, but I think I'll hold the money from now on," Katara said with a disappointed expression. Poor Aang looked sad as he handed over the coins. Don't worry, Aang, I thought to him. It's worth more than you think.

"Earth Nation, Fire Nation, Water Nation!" A dark-skinned vendor called out by the docks. "So long as bargains are your _inclination_, you're welcome here!" Nice line. "Don't be shy, come on by!" Rhyming's stretching it. We were about to walk on by when he rushed up to Sokka. "You there! I can see from your clothing that you're world traveling types!" Instinctively, I looked down at myself. _Still_ in Waterbending garb. Hog-monkeys. "Perhaps I can interest you in some exotic curios?" His eyebrows waggled. I raised one of my own skeptically. Did he even know what a curio was?

"Sure," Aang said, stopping us all in our tracks. "What are curios?" The vendor blinked.

"I'm not entirely sure, but we got 'em!" Sigh.

* * *

The ship was dark in a spooky sort of way. I gazed at the surrounding objects, more or less amazed. A demonic monkey statue originating from an ancient civilization was on display; so were boomerangs of all styles and sizes, as well as a good supply of scrolls. I could have named most of the objects in there, origin and all, but I was looking for something helpful- a scroll for teaching, maybe, or some form of weapon that was small and easily hidden. A voice spoke from the shadows, startling Aang and sending a quick jump through me.

"Why, I've never seen such a fine specimen of lemur," the voice growled in an almost menacing tone. A man was revealed, a reptile-bird on his shoulder glaring at us with the same evil as the man himself. "He'd fetch me a hefty sum if you were interested in... _bartering_." The reptile-bird cawed in agreement. Momo screeched back. Aang put a protective hand on her.

"Momo's not for sale," Aang said firmly. A gasp from Katara caused me to look away from the scene. She was holding out a scroll, eyes wide with wonder. She looked over at Aang and I, glowing with hope.

"Look!" she said in an excited whisper, which is, in fact, possible. "It's a Waterbending scroll! Check out these crazy moves!" She leaned in, examining the illustrations. I recognized the Single Water Whip, the Flowing Dart, and the Tunaki Tide, all moves that I knew by heart.

"Where did you get a Waterbending scroll?" Aang asked the man with the reptile bird. He slammed his hand down on the laid out parchment and rolled it up. Thoughts began to click together in my brain.

"Let's just say I got it up north, at a most reasonable price," he said with a dark smile. "Free." He slid the scroll into a cubbyhole.

"Wait a minute," Sokka said, obviously coming to the same conclusion that I did. Were we really that alike? Scary. "Sea-loving traders, with suspiciously acquired merchandise... and pet reptile birds? You guys are pirates!" He practically spit in the face of the dark-skinned merchant who had brought us in. He smiled at Sokka's bulging eyes and put his arm around Sokka's shoulder.

"We prefer to think of ourselves as... high-risk traders," he said, winking. Right...

"So, how much for the... ahem, _traded_ scroll?" Katara said, fingering our remaining coins.

"I've already got a buyer," the head pirate said gruffly. "A nobleman in the Earth Kingdom." He then smiled at Aang and Katara. "Unless, of course, you kids have got two hundred gold pieces on you right now?" Aang pulled Katara and I to the side.

"I know how to deal with these guys," he said in a hushed tone. "Pirates love to haggle." He held his hands out for the coins. Katara handed them over. "Watch and learn." He went back over to the pirate before I could say, 'And how many pirates have you met, again?'

"What say ye to the price of..." Aang said casually in a pirate voice, flipping a coin in the air and catching it, displaying it between his thumb and index. "...One copper piece?" The pirate barked with laughter.

"The price is two hundred gold pieces," he said, dead serious. "I don't haggle on items this rare." Yet Aang kept persisting.

"Okay, two copper pieces!" His hand moved, and he was displaying both coins between his fingers. Impressive, if you were a cheap magician. The pirate agreed with me.

"Not as amusing the second time, boy," he snarled. Katara went up to Aang and pulled him away from the pirate.

"Let's get out of here, Aang." I said. Katara looked around nervously.

"I feel like we're getting weird looks." she said. Aang turned around with swag and casually swung his staff.

"Aye, we be castin' off now!" he said in the same voice as before. Then he whirled back to us. We left the ship.

"What was that all about, Katara?" Aang said in a normal voice.

"Yeah," Sokka added. "I was just starting to look at their boomerang collection." Katara rubbed her shoulders as if she was cold.

"I'll just feel a lot better when we're out of here." I knew something was up. The way she held herself was wrong. She was lying. But what had she-

"Hey, you!" an angry voice from the pirate's ship called. We stopped and turned to face the ship. "Come back here!"

"Well, well," Aang said smugly. "Look who's finally come to their senses. Told you the haggling would pay off." I wasn't so sure. Katara backed away, just in time. Pirates leapt off the ship, swinging from ropes and holding knives. A large one stepped forward menacingly. He pulled out scythes and twirled them. The other pirates came forward, leering. Various statements came from the group.

"There they are!" "Let's get 'em!" "Nobody's goin' nowhere!" Their grammar was deplorable, but that was the least of my worries. All of the pirates looked strong and brutal, and not one of them was missing a weapon.

"I don't think these pirates are here to trade with us," I said. Then I turned and ran, followed by Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Momo. The pirates weren't far behind. We turned and ran down an alley, pirates in hot pursuit.

"Whoa!" Sokka cried as we made a sharp turn. I looked back and spotted a jar. With a slight flick of my wrist, water cascaded onto the ground and froze. A pirate slipped, but the three after him jumped and continued to chase us.

Ahead of us was a cart full of cabbages. I nearly screeched to halt when I saw the man from Omashu. Were those the same cabbages? Sokka bumped into his cart, followed by Katara. Aang jumped through the cart, and I ran around it, as apparently no one else can do. Aang blasted the cart, sending it into the pirates following us.

"My cabbages!" the man wailed. "This place is worse than Omashu!"

We continued on, but three pirates appeared in our path, including Dark-Skin. We whirled around, Momo chirruping.

"I hope your lemur's got nine lives!" one of them called out. We ran hard, but found ourselves trapped in an alley. Stupid, stupid, stupid! I knew this city by heart; I should have thought while we ran!

"Now," Dark-Skin sneered. "Who gets to taste the steel of my blade first?" Aang stepped forward calmly.

"No thanks," he said, and a gust of wind kicked up dust as it smashed into the pirates. "Grab on tight!" Aang's glider popped out as we pelted forward. He wavered, trying to find air currents.

"Aang!" Katara cried, even as she and Sokka grabbed onto the glider. "I thought we were running _away_ from the pirates!" I ran even as they lifted.

"Linn!" Aang called. "Grab on!" I knew the glider couldn't support the four of us.

"Go!" I said. "I'll catch up to you!" His mind was filled with worry and images of the Fire Temple, where I had been separated from them before. He wondered about me. But I would be fine. He was more important. Sighing, I turned to face the groaning pirates. I smiled grimly and spoke the first thing that popped into my head.

"Well, boys... Let's dance."

* * *

It was a quiet walk home. But it least I could walk in the total security of the pirates being all tied up at the docks. Literally, tied up. The sun was setting, and I knew the gang must be worried by now. I reached out with my mind. Or not. Apparently, Katara was having a little difficulty with the Water Whip, which, of course, she learned from the scroll. The one she pilfered from the pirates. And Aang, of course, was not. Was he retaining some of the knowledge I had given him? He must be. I didn't pry any more, and walked a little faster to see how Aang and Katara's spat had ended.

It was completely dark by the time I got to where Katara was practicing. She grunted with frustration and threw her whip down with bending.

"Shoot!" she swore angrily. "Come on, water, work with me here!" I felt bad. All her life, she had been the only Waterbender, untrained and living with untapped power. And I had power that all my life had been dedicated to being trained. My power was tapped. Almost tapped out, really. Why was my bending going on and off?

Another exclamation from Katara derailed my train of thought. I was about to step out of the shadows when I saw her stiffen. She peered through some bushes and gasped. A pirate appeared, and when she turned, she ran into him. She fought and broke free when another person appeared. The last person I wanted to see.

In case you haven't guessed, it was Zuko.

She ran into him, and he grabbed her wrists. She stared, frightened into his eyes.

"I'll save you from the pirates."

* * *

I was warring inside my head. Warn Aang and Sokka? Or fight the pirates and save Katara? It was hard to choose, and my head was pounding. When Fang had told me I must make decisions, I never imagined I would have to choose between friends!

Friends. I had friends. I had actual people to confide in!

Snap out of it! Focus, focus, focus. Too late, I realized I had missed everything, and the pirates had left. Zuko and his Firebenders were left on the beach, guarding Katara and the tree she was tied to, while I sat here in the bushes. They had gone for Aang! I was too late to save anyone. I felt like I was slipping. Nothing had been perfect since I had found Aang. But had it ever been?

"_**I see you with her,"**_I whispered, half to Zuko, half to myself._** "And it hurts so much inside. I guess I should stop thinking about you all the time. Maybe, this is what I needed, maybe this is a sign. Or maybe I've been blind to reality... someone tell me: every time I glance Aang's way, I see straight into Aang. He and I are powerful twins; could someone tell me, is this real or could it all be in my head?... Is what's coming real or is it all in my head?..."**_ Then my thoughts turned to Katara and Aang. Meant to be, but oblivious. Versus me, meant to be but impossible. Not even worth the small smirk that came to my lips. _**"She is pretty; the two of them will be great. I've got to teach them who they are, but I've also got to teach Aang some other things. But I just can't help but think, that I'm not meant to be here and do this. Am I really being blind- to reality? Someone tell me: every time I glance Aang's way, I see straight into Aang. For so long he never knew we were twins; could someone tell me, is this real or is it all in my head?... Seems so real, but is it all in my head?... What is real and what is fake-? Surely there is some mistake-? Surely there's some way to know if it's all in my head, all in my head? Does anyone else feel the same-? Could my mind just be playing games? Someone let me know if it's all in my head, all in my head- Every time I glance Aang's way, I feel a little less like me. For years, all there'd been was my twin. But someone tell me: was it real, or was it all in my head-? Is it real, or is it all in my head-?..."**_

"Good work." Zuko. It was dawn now, and I peered through the bushes to see Sokka and Aang being held by the pirates on the beach. I suddenly widened my eyes when I saw who else was on the beach: Uncle Iroh. The moment I thought his name, he turned and looked suspiciously in my direction. I shrank back into the shadows.

_Please. I want to help my friends. I promise Zuko will be safe._ I thought furiously, hoping Uncle Iroh was listening. I watched him as he turned back around to watch the rest of the scene.

"I'm so sorry, Aang," Katara blurted. Aang stood still, perfectly calm. "This is all my fault."

No, it isn't," Aang said gently. Yes, it kind of is, I thought.

"Yeah, it kind of is." Uncle Iroh!?

"Give me the boy," Zuko snarled.

"Give us the scroll," the head pirate snarled right back. I watched Aang and Sokka. Should I move? Or should I wait it out? Another moment where those split-second decision-making skills that had been in my training for twelve years would be handy. But _no_, that would just make it too easy.

"You're really gonna hand over the _Avatar_ for a stupid piece of parchment?" Sokka said incredulously. My first reaction was to tell him to shut up, but I saw where he was going. Apparently, Zuko did, too. Or did he pick it up from me? Hmm...

"Don't listen to him!" he snapped. "He's trying to turn us against each other!"

"Your friend is the Avatar?" the head pirate asked.

"Sure is," Sokka said helpfully. "And I bet he'll fetch a lot more on the black market than that fancy scroll."

"Shut your mouth, you Water Tribe peasant!" Zuko exclaimed. I had to roll my eyes. Maybe I could _send_ him some better insults. It's pretty degrading for your other half to call people 'peasants'.

"Yeah, Sokka, you really _should_ shut your mouth!" Aang whispered nervously. I didn't bother to send him calm thoughts; with any luck, this would be over soon. Of course, what kind of luck was I talking about?

"I'm just saying," Sokka shrugged. "It's bad business sense. I mean, imagine how much the Fire Lord would pay for the Avatar." The pirates' faces lit up. "You guys would be set for _life_."

"Keep the scroll," the head pirate said. "We could buy a hundred with the reward we'll get for the kid." I felt anger roll off Zuko.

"You'll regret breaking a deal with me." That was when his team of Firebenders began shooting fire everywhere. The pirates retaliated with swords and knives, and the fight grew heated quickly. It was actually kind of fun to watch. But, fun aside, I needed to help.

"Momo," I whispered softly. I made a gentle chittering sound not unlike Momo's, and she appeared from the bracken. "Katara. Rope. Scroll." I made motions with my hands, and I could have sworn she nodded. As the pirates tossed smoke pellets and the fight vanished in a huge cloud, Momo rushed off to nibble Katara's bonds. Katara looked at her rescuer.

"Thanks, Momo," she said gratefully. "I owe you a bushel of apples." I smiled to myself. I probably wouldn't need to call that favor in.

When Zuko emerged from the smoke, a new fight began- a battle for the scroll. Momo grabbed the scroll at the point when it flew into the air. Good girl. Maybe I did need that bushel of apples...

"Aang, are you there?" Sokka's voice came from the cloud.

"Yeah, I'm over here! Follow my voice!"

"Where? I can't find you!"

"Right here!" The smoke cleared, revealing all the weapons pointing at Aang. I acted fast. Aang pulled the smoke back, which may or may not have involved me. "Uh, never mind! I'll find you!" Aang and Sokka burst from the smoke. Aang cried, "Run!" and I leapt from where I had been hiding to join up with them. We ran together along the beach.

"Katara! You're okay!" Aang said joyfully when we found her pushing at the pirate's boat. Guess what, guys? I'm okay, too! Katara didn't look up.

"Help me move this boat so we can get out of here!" she instructed. I immediately understood her plan, but there was no way our human strength could move it.

"Guys," I said quietly as they struggled against the boat.

"We need a team of rhinos to move this ship!" Sokka said tiredly.

"Guys!" I said again, louder. They all panted heavily. "GUYS!" They looked up. "Maybe not a team of rhinos, but thr- two Waterbenders." Katara and Aang's faces grew bright simultaneously. With a few push and pulls, and small aid from a certain secret half-Avatar, the boat was afloat.

"Everybody on!"

* * *

"Sokka! Can't you make it go any faster?" Aang called out, looking back at the small ship following us, loaded with jeering pirates.

"I don't know how!" Sokka shouted. "This thing wasn't made by the Water Tribe!" I knew about ships and their workings, but I preferred the good, old trustworthy method of Waterbending like there was no tomorrow. Of course, before I could start that, the pirates leapt aboard. Sigh. More fun.

"Hyaah!" a few yelled. Was that even a word? I dove into a ship cabin and raised my arms to Waterbend a wave aboard. Judging by the yells, a couple were swept overboard. Well, serves them right for ruining my day.

"Hey, you did the Water Whip!" I heard Aang exclaim after another pirate cried out.

"Well, I couldn't have done it without your help!" Katara's voice. Interesting...

"Will you two quit congratulating each other and help me out?" Sokka, the ruiner of romantic moments. I even think I heard music!

Sokka made a strange sound at the same time I heard a thump. A pirate said something like, "That's good." Ha, not on my watch. I leapt out of the cabin onto a pirate, and some Airbending may or may not have been involved. Possibly. Aang came and Airbended the other one off the ship.

"Aang, look!" Katara called as I jumped down to check on Sokka, quickly followed by Aang. Aang and I looked up simultaneously.

"Oh, no," we said at the same time, both seeing the roaring waterfall ahead of us. I heard the sound of swords slicing and instinctively whirled around. Aang followed suit, and we were being faced by Dark-Skin. And his friend, the sharp little dagger. Aang reached into a pocket and pulled out the whistle. My eyebrows shot up in realization. Aang took a deep breath and _blew_. He had some lungs! Sokka came and kicked the shocked pirate overboard.

"Have you lost your mind?" he practically screamed in outrage. "This is no time for flute practice!" I never had the chance to say, "Can flute practice call your ten-ton flying bison?"

"Aang!" Katara. What now? "We can stop the boat! Let's push and pull the water!" A bit late, but still, not bad. As they did that, behind my back I added a push-and-pull of my own. "We're doing it!"

"But we have another problem!" Heavens, really? Zuko's boat came up behind us, crashed into us, and sent us over the falls. Not to mention screaming in terror. The three of them held hands, but I put my hands to work making an Airbended cushion. Thankfully, Appa was just in time, and we landed only slightly bruised before crashing onto the rocks.

"I knew a bison whistle would come in handy," Aang said with pride. Although I think he should have taken into account Appa's intelligence, I had to agree. "Thanks, Appa."

"Yeah, we owe you one," Sokka said with... gratitude? Hmm. Appa roared, as if to say, "You're welcome."

* * *

"Aang, I owe you an apology," Katara said quietly when we were high above the clouds. "You were just so good at Waterbending without even trying. I got so competitive, I put us all in danger. I'm sorry." Aang smiled.

"It's okay, Katara."

"Besides, who needs that stupid scroll anyway?" she added with a scoff.

"Is that _really_ how you feel?" Sokka put in, holding out the scroll. Katara's face lit up.

"The scroll!" She reached for it. Sokka pulled it back.

"First," he said before she could grab it. "What did you learn?"

"Stealing is wrong," Katara said with almost-humility. Sokka handed her the scroll. "Unless it's from pirates!" Aang and I laughed. This was nice. Having people to rely on even after you've had your life's purpose defiled, been chased by bloodthirsty pirates, and nearly fallen off a waterfall. I still had a lot to figure out, like how to get Katara and Aang to figure out what they were. And their grammar. Yeah, I had my work cut out for me. But I thought- no, knew- that I could make it through... as long as it wasn't all in my head.


	11. Tell Me A Lie

Appa moaned with pleasure as I rubbed her sides fiercely. Aang smiled at it, and I knew that this was a moment when he would put aside his doubts about me and just enjoy. Katara and Sokka sat next to each other on the ground, murmuring softly. I wanted to say something to Aang; it seemed like a good time. But how do you tell your long-lost twin that you're an unnatural powerful mutant with an incredible amount of knowledge, not to mention that our father wasn't exactly an Airbender or married to our mother?

"Hey, Aang," I began, unsure what to say. A screech suddenly echoed through the air. Was that-

"Where's Momo?" Aang said, springing to his feet. I sighed inwardly. What would Fang say if she saw how I was making use of all my precious training? Aang still had no clue, although I wondered if he was suspicious as to why I hadn't shown my Airbending ability yet. Ugh, so much to work out! Anyway, moving on with life...

"Hang on, Momo!" Aang called when we reached a clearing in which several cages were high up in the air, one of them holding Momo. He lightly jumped from tree to tree, coming to the top. He lowered the rope, and Katara and I helped the cage down gently from the ground. We opened up the bars and Momo leapt out. She immediately began eating a leechee nut. Sokka groaned.

Whimpers came from above, and all of us looked up. Except for Momo. Two hog-monkeys looked so sad in the cramped cages, I wanted to go up there and free them myself. Fortunately, Aang jumped in before I did.

"All right, you, too," he said warmly, and leapt back into the air. Sokka rolled his eyes.

"This is gonna take _forever_," he said, and threw his boomerang into the air. It neatly sliced through the ropes, and the hog-monkeys fell to the ground. Aang, hanging from a tree limb, looked a little surprised.

"That works." Aang slid down the tree as the hog-monkeys ran away. Sokka kneeled by the broken cages.

"These are Fire Nation traps," he said with certainty. I looked at them. Their craftsmanship had changed in the past hundred years, but I saw what he meant. "You can tell from the metalwork. We better pack up camp and get moving." I nodded in agreement, surprising both Katara and Aang.

We began packing up our bags. As I reached out to hand a bag to Aang, who had jumped up to sit upon Appa, Sokka shook his head. "Uh-uh. No flying this time."

"Why wouldn't we fly?" Aang said with confusion.

"Think about it," Sokka said as if it were a simple equation. "Somehow, Zuko and the Fire Nation keep finding us." Um, yeah, about that... "It's because they spot Appa. He's just too noticeable." And your giant inflated head isn't?

"What?" Katara snapped. "Appa's not noticeable!"

"He's a giant floppy monster with an arrow on his head!" Sokka shot back. "Kind of hard to miss!" True, true...

Appa roared in protest. Okay, I was back on her side. Aang patted her comfortingly.

"He's just jealous because he doesn't have an arrow."

"I know you all want to fly but my instincts tell me we should just play it safe and walk," Sokka said in a reasonable tone. Reasonable, my foot.

"Who made you the boss?" I said as a challenge. He pointed a thumb at himself.

"I'm not the boss, I'm the leader." Before I could retort, Katara snorted in a rare unladylike moment with laughter.

"You're the leader?" she said, rolling her eyes. "Your voice still cracks!"

"I'm the oldest and I'm a warrior!" Sokka shouted, his voice cracking. Then he deepened his voice in a desperate attempt to make up for it. "So I'm the leader."

"If anyone should be the leader, it's Aang," Katara said, eyes shining. I wanted to laugh at her expression. I didn't look like that when I thought about Zuko... did I? "I mean, he is the Avatar." Right, that's the _only_ reason.

"Are you kidding?" Sokka said. "He's just a goofy kid!" I opened my mouth to break in before Aang could say-

"He's right," he agreed as he hung upside down off of Appa. Ugh.

"Why do boys always think someone has to be the leader?" Katara said with frustration. Well, I had a whole _lecture_ on that one. "I bet you wouldn't be so bossy if you'd kissed a girl!" Ooh...

"I've kissed a girl!" Sokka said. "You just... haven't met her." Eyebrows were raised.

"Who? Gran Gran?" Katara said with a smirk. "I've met Gran Gran."

"No, besides Gran Gran!" Sokka was fuming, but still tried to prove his point. Oh, poor Sokka. "Look, my instincts tell me we have a better chance of slipping through on foot, and a leader should trust his instincts." Decisions: fifty percent instinct, twenty-five percent logic, twenty percent suggestion, and five percent pure guesswork.

"Okay,"Katara said grudgingly. "We'll try it _your_ way, O Wise Leader."

"Who knows?" Aang said cheerfully as he shouldered his backpack. "Walking might be fun!"

* * *

"Walking stinks!" Aang said with an annoying, yet hard to disagree with, tone. "How do people go anywhere without a flying bison?" Ah, one of the many great mysteries of life.

"Well, I don't know, Aang," Katara said. "Why don't you ask Sokka's instincts? They seem to know _everything_." I smirked.

"Ha-ha, very funny," Sokka replied drily.

"I'm tired of carrying this pack," Aang whined. I decided to play along.

"You know who you should ask to carry it for a while? Sokka's instincts!" Aang and Katara both laughed, even as Sokka stewed.

"That's a great idea!" Aang said. "Hey, Sokka's Instincts! Would you mind?"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Sokka exclaimed. "Look, I'm tired, too, but the important thing is we're safe from the..." As he walked through the bushes and turned around, he slumped. "Fire Nation." Before us were many Fire Nation soldiers, and, sadly to say, they didn't look too happy to see us. Sokka was frozen for only an instant, than acted. "RUN!"

We bolted as a soldier blasted flame from his palm.

"We're cut off!" I shouted, narrowly avoiding the flames even with my super-honed reflexes. Sokka wasn't as lucky. "Sokka, your shirt!" Sokka began to attempt to pat out the flames. Thankfully, Katara Waterbended some of her supply before he could do something stupid.

"If you let us pass, we promise not to hurt you," Sokka said, even as we huddled together. You know, in front of the raging bonfire behind us.

"What are you doing?" Katara whispered.

"Bluffing."

"_You_ promise not to hurt _us?_" A soldier with an eyepatch scoffed. Then he fell flat on his face, an arrow sticking out of his back.

"Nice work, Sokka," Aang said. "How'd you do it?"

"Uh... Instinct?"

"Look!" Katara pointed at the trees. Standing there was a man- no, a _boy_- with wind-swept dark hair, worn clothing, a straw in his mouth... and two flails. He swung down from the trees, landing on two soldiers. He nailed another two with his flails, smoothly flipping them over. He smiled as he crouched.

"Down you go." He promptly swung off to fight elsewhere. The soldiers looked fearful.

"They're in the trees!" The soldier who spoke was jumped by a laughing boy no older than eight. A teenage boy was shooting weapons out of their hands with a bow. Katara and Aang joined the fight, using bending to easily get the soldiers out of the way. What did I do? Well, you might say I leaned against a tree with one hand behind my back that moved rapidly, 'catching' soldiers with gentle rocks to the head while I held up a frightened expression.

Sokka yelled a war cry as a soldier approached. The strange boy with the flails came and kicked him away, leaving Sokka dejected.

"Hey, he was mine," he complained. The boy raised an eyebrow.

"Gotta be quicker next time." The fighting progressed, and eventually a blow to a soldier led the strange boy 'stumbling' up to Katara. "Hey."

"Hi." Even though she had been slapping soldiers silly with water, I could tell Katara was awestruck by him. I wanted to slap her silly, and not with water.

"You just took out a whole army almost single-handed!" Aang said with glee.

"Army?" Sokka dismissed. "There were only, like, twenty guys!" The boy ignored him, which, I admit, is what I would have done.

"My name is Jet," he said. "And these are my Freedom Fighters: Sneers, Longshot, Smellerbee, The Duke, and Pipsqueak." He nodded at each in turn. Aang walked up to the pair Jet had called 'The Duke' and 'Pipsqueak'.

"Pipsqueak," Aang laughed. "That's a funny name!" My brother, subtle as always. The short one sniffled. The enormous boy leaned into Aang's face. I tensed.

"You think my name is funny?" he rumbled. Aang smiled at his grim face.

"It's hilarious!" Pipsqueak burst out laughing, and soon the three of them were shaking with laughter. Pipsqueak clapped Aang on the back, and he fell on the ground, still laughing. I rolled my eyes. Boys.

"I can do this, I can do it," Katara muttered to herself. I raised my eyebrows but watched her walk over to Jet anyway. "Um... Thanks for saving us. We were lucky you were there." Heavens, was she really saying that when a perfectly good male was only on the other side of camp?

"I should be thanking you," Jet said, his straw easily switching to the other side of his mouth. What was up with that, anyway? "We'd been waiting to ambush those soldiers all morning. We just needed the right distraction." He removed the straw in a cool kid sort of way. I hated him already. "And then you guys stumbled in." He popped the straw back in.

"We were relying on _instinct_," Katara said with an eye roll.

"You'll get yourself killed doing that." Poor Sokka. But in this situation, it was true. I couldn't deny that; even if I didn't like Jet, he seemed to have a good head and the ability to lead.

"Hey, Jet!" came The Duke's voice. "These barrels are filled with blasting jelly."

"That's a great score," Jet said casually.

"And these boxes are filled with jelly candy!" Pipsqueak added, holding up a box. Why did Fire Nation soldiers have candy in large crates? That, I did not know.

"Also good," Jet replied. "Let's not get those mixed up."

"We'll take this stuff back to the hideout." Aang perked up.

"You guys have a hideout?" Oh, no, oh, no, oh, no.

"You wanna see it?" Katara slid up to him, hands clasped together.

"Yes, we want to see it!" I sighed as he smiled softly at her. Flirt.

* * *

"We're here," Jet announced.

"Where?" Sokka snapped. "There's nothing here." I had a hunch, but I wasn't sure...

"Hold this." Jet handed Sokka a rope that came from far up in the trees.

"Why, what's this do?" Sokka was pulled into the air, hitting the tree along the way. I had to smirk.

"Aang?" Jet held out a hand with the rope. Aang smiled.

"Thanks, but I'll get up on my own." Momo and Aang jumped into the air simultaneously, and I watched as they went higher until they were out of sight.

How about you, um... sorry, I didn't catch your name," Jet offered the rope to me. I grabbed it and gave him a convincing smile.

"Thanks." I held on with one arm and let it pull me up, much more gracefully than Sokka's trip had been. When I reached the top, I couldn't suppress a gasp. A whole village in the trees... entirely consisting of kids. Aang whooshed by as Katara and Jet came up behind me.

"Nice place you got!" he yelled as he went.

"I'll say," I murmured. "It's beautiful." It really was. The trees had always been a home to me, and as much as I loved Aang- and the others, I supposed- it hadn't been the same as knowing you had a safe place in a tree every night. Then again, I'd been trained to handle whatever came my way.

"It's beautiful," Jet said, hearing my remark. "And more importantly, the Fire Nation can't find it." A kid leapt up from a rope- Smellerbee?

"They'd love to find you," Smellerbee said with a small smile. "Wouldn't they, Jet?" Jet smiled back.

"It's not gonna happen, Smellerbee." Katara was confused, clearly missing the point.

"Why does the Fire Nation want to find you?"

"I guess you could say I've been causing them a bit of trouble," he said as we walked along. I marveled at the houses and walkways, half-listening to Jet. "You see, they took over a small Earth Kingdom town a few years back."

"We've been ambushin' their troops, cuttin' off their supply lines, 'n' doing anything we can to mess with 'em," Pipsqueak put in.

"One day," Jet said, taking back control. "We'll drive the Fire Nation out for good, and free that town." Katara blushed.

"That's so brave," she said, looking away. That brought me out of my reverie so I could roll my eyes.

"Yeah, nothing's braver than a guy in a tree house," Sokka interrupted in the good, old Sokka fashion.

"Don't pay any attention to him," Katara said darkly.

"No problem," Jet replied. "He probably had a rough day." Sokka fumed and slipped back.

"So," Katara said, probably desperate to keep the conversation going. "You all live here?"

"That's right. Longshot, over there; his town got burned down by the Fire Nation. And we found The Duke trying to steal our food. I don't think he ever really had a home." The two walked along, faces blank. I felt a pang of pity.

"What about you?" Katara asked. Jet stopped, and only he and Katara stood still as everyone else moved on. I moved slowly enough to catch Jet's answer.

"The Fire Nation killed my parents. I was only eight years old."

* * *

"Today, we struck another blow against the Fire Nation swine!" Jet raised his glass, and the kids cheered. I bet he would have liked to call them other things, but seeing as the crowds consisted of 'innocent' children... "I got a special joy from the look on one soldier's face when The Duke dropped down on his helmet and rode him like a wild hog-monkey!" The Duke got on the table to do a victory march as the crowd cheered.

"Now, the Fire Nation thinks they don't have to worry about a bunch of kids hiding in the trees," Jet continued, sipping from his cup. "Maybe they're right..." Everyone booed this statement, and Jet gave a dark smile. "Or maybe... they are _dead_ wrong!" The way he said it was frightening, but everyone shouted their approval.

"Hey, Jet," Katara said as Jet stepped down from the table. "Nice speech." Was I the only one getting annoyed?

"Thanks," Jet said. "By the way, I was really impressed with you and Aang. That was some great bending I saw out there today." Alas, the secret benders get no credit.

"Well, he's great," Katara said modestly. I really was tempted to smack her, but thankfully, twelve years of training kept me under control. "He's the Avatar. I could use some more training." Her cheeks turned red.

"Avatar, huh?" Jet replied. "Very nice."

"Thanks, Jet!" Aang said brightly. Then, Jet got down to business.

"So, I might know a way that you and Aang can help in our struggle." Because Sokka and I are useless, of course.

"Unfortunately, we have to leave tonight," Sokka cut in.

"Sokka, you're kidding me!" Jet said, his face so fake I could have painted a design on it and hung it in a museum. If I didn't have better things to do. "I needed you on an important mission tomorrow!" Okay, so only Linn was useless now. Sokka stopped.

"What mission?" he said, turning around.

* * *

Sokka and I sat next to each other, silently communicating. The mission hadn't gone well; he hadn't need to tell me, since it was written all over his face. Aang swung by, disrupting the silence.

"Hey, look what The Duke gave me!" Aang pulled a pellet out of his pouch, and a sneaky look came to his face. He threw one down at Momo, who screeched as it sparked. He snickered, until Mom leapt onto his shoulder, seized the pouch, and began throwing the spark pellets at his feet. "Ow! Quit it!" Aang danced around as the pellets sparked. I smirked at him.

Katara came down from a ladder on the tree the platform was built on. "Hey, Sokka, Linn," she said, hands behind her back. "Is Jet back?"

"Yeah, he's back, and we're leaving!" Sokka snapped.

"What?" Aang said.

"But I made him this hat," Katara said gloomily, holding up some thing Momo could have found in a waste bin, and most likely tried to eat.

"Your boyfriend Jet's a thug," Sokka snarled. Katara seemed shocked.

"What?" Katara said disbelievingly, eyebrows soaring upwards. "No, he's not!"

"He's messed up, Katara," Sokka said, and looking at his eyes, I believed him.

"He's not messed up," Aang said. "He's just got a different way of life. A really fun way of life!"

"He beat and robbed a harmless old man!" My eyes widened, even as Katara folded her arms.

"I want to hear Jet's side of the story."

* * *

"Sokka," Jet said, mouth moving just enough to shake his straw. "You told them what happened but you didn't mention the guy was Fire Nation?" Katara turned around angrily.

"No, he conveniently left that part out." I put a hand on Sokka's shoulder even as Katara bore down with a bitter look. Sokka shrugged it off.

"Fine," he retorted. "But even if he was Fire Nation, he was a harmless civilian!"

"He was an assassin, Sokka," Jet stated, pulling out a knife and stabbing it into a table. "See?" he untwisted the handle. "There's a compartment for poison in the knife. He was sent to eliminate me. You saved my life, Sokka." Jet looked directly up. His eyes were dark brown, and they unnerved me under their intense gaze.

"I knew there was an explanation," Katara said, relieved that her precious Jet wasn't a bad boy after all.

"I didn't see any knife!" Sokka said hotly.

"That's because he was concealing it," Jet replied as if speaking to a child.

"See, Sokka?" Katara said. "I'm sure you just didn't notice the knife."

"There was no knife!" Sokka was fuming, and I agreed with him. "I'm going back to the hut and packing my things!" As Sokka stormed out, Jet stood up.

"Tell me you guys aren't leaving yet," he pleaded. "I really need your help." I could tell it wasn't meant for me as he gestured to Aang and Katara.

"What can we do?" Aang asked.

"The Fire Nation is planning on burning down our forest. You two can use Waterbending to fill up the reservoir so we can fight the fires! But if you leave now, they'll destroy the whole valley." What an evil, manipulative cockroach! The only reason I hadn't left was so I could find out where they were going and stick with them.

Katara and Aang looked at each other. I clenched my fists. Jet smiled with satisfaction.

* * *

"We can't leave now with the Fire Nation about to burn down a forest!" Katara exclaimed as we walked into Sokka's tent.

"I'm sorry, Katara," Sokka said, very clearly not sorry. "Jet's very smooth, but we can't trust him!" True that.

"You know what I think?" Katara said, her eyes fiery. "You're jealous that he's a better warrior and a better leader!" For a split second, I saw the hurt in Sokka's eyes. Then he was back to his stone-carved self.

"Katara, I'm not jealous of Jet," Sokka said calmly. "It's just that my instincts-"

"Well, _my_ instincts say that we need to stay here a little longer and help Jet," Katara interrupted. She beckoned to Aang. "C'mon, Aang."

"Sorry, Sokka," Aang said as they left. I gave Sokka a pained look.

"Sokka, I understand, I really do," I said quietly. "But I need to go with them. Who knows what might happen-"

"No one understands!" he snapped. "Just go!" I cast a sad glance back as I left the tent.

* * *

"Jet, I'm sorry about how Sokka's been acting," Katara said as the four of us- her, Aang, Jet, and I- walked along the edge of a dried-up stream.

"No worries," Jet said, taking that dang straw out of his mouth. "He already apologized." Jet popped the straw back in.

"Sokka apologized?" Aang said incredulously, voicing my own thoughts.

"Yeah, I was surprised, too," Jet replied. "I got the sense you talked to him or something." Something was up, I was sure of it. Or maybe I was just acting on my hate of Jet?

"Yeah, I did," Katara responded, also surprised.

"I guess something you said got through to him," Jet said casually. As if. Sokka's thick warrior skull did not allow anything through it- I wanted to know what _Jet_ had said that might get through. "Anyhow, he want out on a scouting mission with Pipsqueak and Smellerbee."

"I'm glad he cooled off," Katara said. "He's so stubborn sometimes." Well, runs in the family.

Aang stopped as his clothing began blowing upward. I stopped as well, instinctively feeling out. My eyes must have widened; Katara began to say something, but Aang was blasted into the air by a geyser.

"Alright, we're here," Jet said. "Underground water is trying to escape from these vents. I need you guys to help it along." He turned to me. "Linn, I can count on you to make sure these two don't get into trouble, right?" His lips tweaked into a smile. I fumed. Was he really-

"Of course," I smiled back. Katara clearly didn't like the shining spotlight of Jet's attention turning away.

"I've never used bending on water I can't see," she said with uncertainty. "I don't know..." The spotlight left me. I breathed an inward sigh of relief.

"Katara," Jet said, putting his hands on her shoulders. "You can do this."

"What about me?" Aang piped up. Jet grinned.

"I know the Avatar can do this," he said. Katara and Aang went over to a geyser, while Jet and I stood 'supervising'. Katara and Aang's arms moved up and down, perfectly synchronized. The water they were bending appeared from the mouth of the geyser, and I felt Aang's gladness at working beside Katara. The water rushed out in a sudden burst, and the water flooded into the stream.

"Yes!" Jet shouted. "Good job! This river empties into the reservoir; a few more geysers and it'll be full."

"Look!" Aang exclaimed. "There's another steam vent!" He and Katara rushed over to it.

"Okay," Jet said, taking- no surprise here- the straw out of his mouth. "You two keep it up- Linn, be a good girl and keep an eye on 'em- and I'll go check on things down at the reservoir." He put the straw back in and began to walk away.

"When we're done, we'll meet you over there," Katara said. Jet froze.

"Actually, it would probably be better if you met me back at the hideout when you're done." He left as Katara and Aang, more quickly this time, bended the water out of the geyser and into the river. I watched, keeping an eye on Aang, but couldn't keep down my suspicion about Jet. Despite the fact that I couldn't leave Aang alone- if there was one thing I was going to stick with, it was that- I wanted so badly to follow and see if he was telling the truth. But I couldn't. With a sigh, I let half my mind come back to earth and watch the two of them Waterbending side by side.

* * *

"I think that's enough," I said as the who-knows-how-many geysers rushed down the bank. "And I'm not just saying it to be lazy." After standing for that long, doing nothing but staring at _them_, my back hurt, my feet ached, and I was plain tired. But, of course, the physical pain didn't bother me; twelve years of training, you get something out of it. "Let's meet up with Jet at the reservoir."

"I thought we agreed to meet him back at the hideout," Aang said.

"Well, we finished early," Katara said. Wow, just wow. "I'm sure he'll be happy to see us." Right...

"Let's go," I motioned with my hand. Let's see what Jet's really up to.

* * *

"What are they doing?" Katara asked as we stood on the cliff, gazing at the reservoir.

"Hey, those are the red barrels they got from the Fire Nation," Aang pointed out. Kids were working everywhere- although what they were working on, I had yet to find out. But I would.

"Why would they need blasting jelly?" Katara questioned. Everything suddenly clicked together. Aang's eyes widened, and he spoke my thoughts.

"Because Jet's gonna blow up the dam."

"What?" Katara said, shocked. "No! That would destroy the town! Jet wouldn't do that." She spoke with such sincerity, I wanted to believe her. But I knew Aang was right.

"I've got to stop him!" Aang triggered his glider. He prepared to leap off the cliff.

"Jet wouldn't do that..." Katara repeated quietly. A figure collided with Aang, knocking his glider from him. I reached out, but he Airbended himself to land softly. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

"Yes, I would," Jet said from where he knelt on the ground.

"Jet, why?" Katara said desperately.

"Katara," he said, head bowed. "You would, too, if you just stopped to think. Think of what the Fire Nation did to your mother. We can't let them do that to anyone else ever again." Katara's picture of perfect Jet shattered.

"This isn't the answer," she said.

"I want you to understand, Katara," he said, eyes only for her. "I thought your brother would understand, but..." I was furious, but not as hurt and angry as Katara was.

"Where's Sokka?" she demanded, tears streaming down her face. Jet reached out and stroked her cheek. At first she accepted it; then, with sudden force she blasted him with water from her pouch. Jet lay on the ground, and Katara bended the water back to her.

"We need to get to the dam," Aang said. He reached for his glider where it had fallen, when a certain someone's flail stopped him.

"You're not going anywhere without your glider," Jet said. He twisted his flails, flinging the glider so that it was slung on his back. Aang leapt away as Jet lashed out.

"I'm not gonna fight you, Jet!" Aang said from the tree he perched in.

"You'll have to if you want your glider back!" Jet snarled. The two of them were suddenly fighting in the trees, and Katara and I stood together.

"If Aang falls, I'll catch him," I said to her, allowing her to squeeze my hand for comfort. "Use your water if you can." She nodded grimly, eyes still brimming with tears.

From the trees, Aang's staff fell, and my head snapped up to watch the two figures. They moved quickly, but by the time I realized Aang was falling, I couldn't Airbend him for a soft landing. I had actually expected him to catch himself, but he hit the ground hard beside his staff.

"I thought you said you would catch him," Katara said, her heart only half in it.

"I miscalculated," I replied. Her hands clenched. At first, I was worried, but then she began attacking Jet with ferocity, water hitting with such force that he stumbled backwards, until he came in contact with a tree. Katara breathed outward, and ice crackled as it spread up from the ground. Jet was frozen to the tree.

"Why, Jet?" She repeated, sounding so lost and heartbroken. "I can't believe I trusted you. You _lied_ to me, you're sick, and I _trusted_ you!" Her face was filled with anger.

"_**If only I had been right,"**_ she said, her face twisted with emotion._** "Should've know Sokka wouldn't have lied... I should've tried... I should've put up a fight, but this hurts more than knives... I'm so tired... First heart break seems so overrated... He told me you're a screwed-up mess, but I didn't listen, listen! Wish I'd never wanted that kiss, wish I'd kept my distance, distance! Tell me anything that tells me you're not what you are, Jet, you**_- _**I wish that I had left you that first night, spare me the truth, and... tell me a lie..." **_Katara looked like she wanted to punch him, but she was clearly holding back the tears. I didn't blame her; after all he's seemed, what a disappointment. _**"Yeah, you're the charming type. You've got those dark, mysterious eyes... wish I could turn back time... Way back in that time, was I the reason for that smile? Goin' out of my mind... Well, you broke what's left of you and I- Now I know that you're a screwed-up mess; now I wish I'd listened, listened. Wish I'd never wanted that kiss, wish I'd kept my distance, distance! Tell me anything that tells me you're not what you are, Jet, you-I wish that I had left you that first night, spare me the truth, and... tell me a lie..."**_ Katara's fist clenched and unclenched. _**"Tell me a lie... Tell me a lie... Tell me lie- Ugh, you're such a screwed-up mess; now I wish I'd listened, listened. Wish I'd never wanted that kiss, wish I'd kept my distance, distance! Tell me anything that tells me you're not what you are, Jet, you- I wish that I had left you that first night, spare me the truth, and... tell me a lie... tell me a lie... tell me a lie... tell me a lie... tell me a lie..."**_

Katara raised her arms to bend when her head snapped around. A bird call resounded throughout the woods.

"No, shut him up, before-" I started, but Jet had already whistled the reply.

"What did you do?" Katara asked, her teary confession interrupted.

"You're too late," Jet said darkly.

"No!" Katara said, and all three of us turned to look out over the cliff. Aang ran with his glider opened, but grunted as he slammed into the ground. Katara and I ran to help him. His glider was torn from the scuffle with Jet.

"Sokka's still out there," Aang groaned. "He's our only chance." Katara kneeled beside him, and I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, Sokka," Katara prayed. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you. Please..." A small light flew through the air towards the dam.

"No," Katara and I whispered at the same time.

The dam blew up in a big cloud of black smoke, and a huge wall of water rose above the little village. It swallowed it up, leaving only bits behind.

"Sokka didn't make it in time," Aang murmured.

"All those people..." Katara trailed away. She suddenly spun around. "Jet, you monster!"

"This was a victory, Katara," Jet said quietly. "Remember that. The Fire Nation is gone and this valley will be safe!"

"It will be safe," came a voice from behind. "Without you!" Up from the cliff rose Appa, mounted by Sokka.

"Sokka!" Katara exclaimed. Sokka smiled at her.

"I warned the villagers of your plan," he said to Jet. "Just in time."

"What?" Jet snapped.

"At first, they didn't believe me," Sokka continued. "The Fire Nation soldiers thought I was a spy. But one man vouched for me: the old man _you_ attacked. He urged them to trust me, and we got everyone out in time."

"Sokka, you fool!" Jet spat. "We could have freed this valley!"

"Who would be free?" Sokka retorted. "Everyone would be dead." Yes, Jet suffered from a little thing called 'flawed logic'. Take note.

"You traitor!" Jet cried. Sokka shook his head.

"No, Jet," he said sadly. "You became the traitor when you stopped protecting innocent people." Jet tried one last tactic.

"Katara, please," he begged. "Help me." Katara didn't look at him.

"Goodbye, Jet," she said, and we all boarded Appa.

"Yip-yip," Sokka said coldly, and Appa ascended, leaving Jet and all the memories that came with him behind.

* * *

"We thought you were going to the dam," Aang said when we were in the air. "How come you went to the town instead?" I smiled.

"Let me guess," I said. "Instinct."

"Hey, sometimes they're right," he shrugged. I smirked.

"Sokka, you do know we're going the wrong way, right?" I rolled my eyes playfully as he straightened and turned us around.

"And sometimes they're wrong," he said. Katara and I looked at each other for the longest time. I couldn't imagine how it must feel to have been betrayed by someone who she so intimately trusted; well, I could, but having never experienced it in the way she had, my world was a better place. And in a way, I understood why she had asked Jet, 'Tell me a lie.'


	12. Go The Distance

I kneeled on the ground, carefully unpacking my bags now that Sokka, Aang and Katara's were done. I didn't need much, but I was ready to claim my fair share of space once Sokka set up the tent. That is, if Katara let him.

"Aren't you forgetting the tarp?" came her saucy tone.

"Right, got it," was Sokka's reply. I looked up to see him throw the rolled-up tarp into the tent.

"Sokka," Katara said, her annoyance unmistakable. "You're supposed to put the tarp on _top_ of the tent; you know, so we don't get rained on?"

"Ordinarily, you'd be right," Sokka responded with more patience than I would have had. "But seeing how it's dry season, you're not. Besides, that tarp makes a pretty good blanket."

"What if it _does_ rain?" Katara retorted, arms crossed.

"What if it doesn't?" Sokka shrugged, finishing up with the tent. "Then I would've put it up for nothing."

"Ugh!" Katara stamped her foot. "You're infuriating!" Sokka just gave her a _You're-one-to-talk_ look.

"Katara, why don't you just worry about gathering firewood?" he suggested. "Because that kindling's looking pretty sorry." It did look pretty pathetic. I mentally slapped myself. No, Linn! No agreeing with Sokka!

"Well, if you don't like my firewood-" Katara threw her twigs at him. He threw up his arms, which were assaulted by the twigs, and then faced her down.

"Fine!" he yelled. "If you're not gonna do your job, then-" He ripped the tent down, and the two fumed at each other. Conveniently, Aang walked up.

"Okay, I've got the grub if you guys got the-" Aang was confused. "Hey, where's the campfire? And what happened to the tent?" Sokka and Katara were facing opposite directions, arms folded.

"Why don't you ask Miss Know-It-All, Queen of the Twigs?" Sokka asked stubbornly.

"Oh, yeah?" Katara shot back, whirling around. "Well, you're Mr. Lazy Bum, King of the..." She threw a twig at him. "Tents!" Skill, Katara, skill. Aang laughed.

"Okay, guys, listen," he said in an almost wise tone. "Harsh words won't solve problems; action will." Katara and Sokka were glaring at each other with murder in their eyes. I rolled my eyes; I was glad my relationship with Aang was nothing like that. I mean, sure, he knew near nothing about me, but at least he didn't try to kill me when I didn't set up the tarp.

"So..." I called out. "Why don't you two just switch jobs?" Aang beamed while Katara and Sokka looked away.

"Sure." "Whatever."

"See that?" Aang said casually. "Settling feuds and making peace. All in a day's work for the Avatar." I blew a raspberry at him. I didn't care that much that he stepped in and took credit, but if I ever did something amazing, like, say, save the world, that probably wouldn't be the most convenient thing for him to do.

A thought struck me. What if that was what Mei Feng meant when she said that I wouldn't be remembered for what I did? Could she mean Aang would take credit? Food for the thought, there.

A screeching began. Aang and I simultaneously looked over to see Momo struggling to rescue a watermelon from beneath Appa's huge paw. By using lemur trickery, she managed to steal the watermelon and delivered it to Aang. Aang tossed the watermelon high into the air and neatly sliced it with Airbending. The larger half went to Appa, who easily swallowed it whole. Momo looked down at her half and chittered dejectedly.

"Come on, Momo, that's fair," Aang pointed out. "Appa's got five stomachs!" Actually, female bison only had four, but I had no intention of interrupting this to deliver _that_ news.

Speaking of news, when was I going to get around to telling Aang... you know? Maybe there would be an opportunity somewhere on our journey. All I knew was that I needed to tell Aang before we got to the North Pole; if a healer examines you to see why your Waterbending is working like a faucet, it's helpful if your brother, the Avatar, knows that you can Waterbend.

* * *

"There it is, guys," Aang announced as we stood over a cliff, looking at an amazingly beautiful maze of cliffs and valleys. "The Great Divide."

"Wow," Katara breathed. "I could just stare at it forever."

"Okay, I've seen enough," Sokka said in that lovely music-stopping way of his, and walked away. Katara seemed shocked at his practicality- as if she hadn't lived with this for more years than I had.

"How can you not be fascinated, Sokka?" she asked. "This is the largest canyon in the entire world."

"Then I'm sure we'll be able to see it from the air very clearly while we fly away!" Sokka replied, pointing at the sky. A neatly groomed man ran up from behind, breaking into the conversation.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, pushing past Sokka. "If you're looking for the canyon guide, I was here first!"

"Ooh, canyon guide," Katara appraised. "Sounds informative."

"Believe me," the stranger said, pointing a thumb at himself. "He's more than a tour guide. The only way in and out of the canyon is with his help, and he's taking my tribe across next!" I made my hand mimic him as he talked.

"Calm down; we know you're next," I soothed.

"You wouldn't be calm if the Fire Nation destroyed your home and forced you to flee!" the man retorted. "My whole tribe has to walk thousands of miles to the capitol city of Ba Sing Se!" If he had been nicer, I would have extended sympathy.

"You're a refugee," Katara stated, master of the obvious.

"Huh," the refugee snorted. "Tell me something I don't know." Aang and Katara looked at each, most likely sharing some hidden soulmate feelings. Too bad the only looks I could ever exchange with Zuko would have to be ones of pure hatred. Sigh.

A rumbling began, and figures appeared in the distance. "Is that your tribe?" Katara asked.

"It most certainly is not!" the refugee protested. "It's the Zhang tribe, a bunch of low-life thieves." The Zhang tribe? But they- "They're been the enemies of my tribe for a hundred years." The refugee narrowed his eyes. A hundred years? Well, that cleared things up. The refugee whistled loudly.

"Hey, Zhangs!" he called out. "I'm saving a spot for my tribe, so don't even think of stealing it!"

"Where are the rest of the Gan Jin?" a burly woman snarled into his face. "Still tidying up their campsite?" Gan Jins, Zhangs- I could tell that this would be interesting, especially since I'd missed the last hundred years.

"Yes!" the refugee snapped. "But they sent me ahead of them to hold a spot!"

"I didn't know the canyon guide took reservations," the woman said smugly, folding her arms.

"Hah!" the refugee laughed. "Of course you didn't! That's ignorance I'd expect from a _Zhang!_ So unorganized and ill-prepared for a journey." There were angry cries from the group of gathered Zhangs, but I was preoccupied. The earth was rumbling again, and not from stampeding. The rocks Momo was perched on trembled, and she leapt off just before they were thrown aside by Earthbending. A dusty man with a bushy white mustache was revealed, and he brushed himself off with a smile.

"Sorry about the wait, youngsters," he said cheerfully. "Who's ready to cross this here canyon?" He held his arm out, gesturing to the now clear path.

"Um, one of them, I think," Katara said, pointing at the group of Zhangs and the Gan Jin.

"I was here first!" the Gan Jin quickly put in. "My party's on their way!"

"I can't guide people who aren't here," the guide shrugged.

"Guess you guys'll have to make the trip tomorrow," the Zhang woman said in a snotty tone as the group walked past. The Gan Jin's eye twitched.

"Wait, here they come!" he exclaimed as another group of people appeared in the distance. I yawned. I was getting bored.

"You're not seriously going to cave in to these spoiled Gan Jins?" the Zhang woman said angrily. "I mean, we're refugees, too! And we've got sick people that need shelter!" I began to tune out their arguing when I remembered Fang telling me to pay attention to the littlest details. I drifted back into the world, but the first thing I heard was Katara.

"Well, Aang," she said to him. "Are you ready to put your peace-making skills to the test?" _His_ skills? Okay, so he helped Momo and Appa, but I helped Katara and Sokka; didn't I deserve credit for that?

"I don't know," Aang said uncertainly. "A fight over chores is one thing... I mean, these people have been feuding for a hundred years!" Katara walked forward. Here we go.

"Everybody, listen up!" she yelled. Things quieted down. She pointed at Aang. "This is the Avatar! And if you give him a chance, I'm sure he can come up with a compromise that can make everyone happy!" All eyes were on him. Aang looked nervous.

"Um..." he stuttered, clearly unsure. I knew his mind was a blank. I stepped in.

"Stars!" I exclaimed. "Share the guide and travel together!" Okay, so it wasn't exactly tactful, but it got people talking.

"Absolutely not!" an old Gan Jin protested. "We're rather be taken by the Fire Nation than travel with those ugly slobs!" I rolled my eyes and let them bicker. However, Aang had formed an idea.

"Alright, here's the deal!" he shouted, shutting everyone up. "We're all going down together and Appa will fly your sick and elderly across! Does that seem fair?" The groups exchanged looks, then nodded. Aang smiled, glad they accepted 'his' idea. Even better, now we got to spend a couple of extra days in the canyon, wasting more time before the impending apocalypse! What fun.

"Sorry, Appa, you'll have to do this on your own," Aang said, rubbing Appa on the nose.

"Aang, this feuding tribe stuff is serious business," Sokka said. "Are you sure it's a good idea getting involved in this?" Um, no, no, no, and NO!

"To be honest, I'm not sure," Aang confessed. Then he grinned. "But when have I ever been?" Good little Katara stepped up.

"He's the Avatar, Sokka," she said, putting a hand on Aang's shoulder. "Making peace between people is his job."

"His job's gonna make us cross this whole thing on foot, isn't it?" Sokka said gloomily.

"Okay, now here comes the bad news," announced the guide. "No food allowed in the canyon: it attracts dangerous predators." He made motions with his hands, which kind of scared me. Protests erupted. The guide was unsympathetic. "Aw, you babies can go a day without food. Would you rather be hungry, or dead?" He had a point... I decided I liked him. He raised himself up on an Earthbended pedestal.

"Alright, we're headin' out in ten minutes!" he shouted through cupped hands. "All food better be in yer gut, or in the garbage!" The Zhangs immediately pulled out food from mysterious locations and began stuffing their faces. The Gan Jins ate their food with chopsticks and silverware, wiping their mouths daintily with napkins.

After a few last words, Appa was off with the sick Zhangs and elderly Gan Jins on board. And now, into the canyon with only two out-for-blood feuding tribes for company.

* * *

The path twisted down the cliff; it would have been beautiful from above, but here, it was just tiring. The guide bended great slabs of earth out of the cliff to fill the gap that lay ahead of us, and we began to cross.

"Nice bending," Aang remarked, me following close behind. The guide chuckled.

"The job's much more than bending, kid," the guide replied. "Folks want information." I smiled mischievously at that. They want information? Okay!

"Many of you are probably wondering how canyons are formed," the guide said as he stopped us. He gestured out into the open space. "Experts-"

"Experts tell us that this canyon was most likely carved into the ground by Earth Spirits," I broke in, smiling in an annoying, perky way. "They were angry at farmers for not offering the proper sacrifice." The earth began to quake, and a rain of stone came from above. The guide easily deflected it with an earth slab, and he laughed, regaining control.

"Guess the spirits are still angry," he said. "Hope you all brought sacrifices." Sokka, Aang and I exchanged looks. Katara had an interesting expression on her face. I gave an inward shrug. I just wanted to get out of here, even if I did get to torture tourists with fascinating tidbits.

* * *

"Okay, everyone stand clear of the wall!" the guide shouted as we stood at the base of the huge cliff. With overdone bending moves, he hurled a boulder up into the air, demolishing the path he had created not so long ago.

"Why'd you do that?" Aang asked, puzzled. The guide brushed his hands together casually as huge clouds of dust billowed behind him.

"These people are fleeing the Fire Nation, aren't they?" he replied rhetorically. "Gotta make sure we can't be followed. We'll be safe now." Suddenly, from the clouds of dust an arm- a leg?- reached out and grabbed our guide. Aang Airbended the clouds away in a sweep of his staff, and a canyon crawler was revealed, the guide swinging from its jaws. I took a fighting stance, ready to spring into action if dared touch Aang.

"We gotta help him!" Sokka yelled. He threw his boomerang, hitting the beast on its snout. It snarled and flung the guide away, where he lay still and groaning. The monster rushed forward, and Sokka ran away, screaming, "Okay! Now we gotta help me!" Katara, Aang, and I quickly followed.

Sokka managed to leap off a small plateau and turn around, where Katara could whip the beast with water. It roared at her, and she screamed as she fell back. Next was Aang, who blasted it with Airbending. It was blown backwards, but leapt up again. I started running, prepared to make my move, when Aang took his staff and created a funnel, spinning the canyon crawler before flinging it into the air, where it landed on the cliff side and slunk into a cave. Aang spun around.

"What was that?" Aang said, jaw dropped.

"Canyon crawler," the guide said weakly. "And there's sure to be more!"

"Your arms," Katara said from where she knelt at the guide's side. "They're broken!"

"Without my arms, I've got no bending," the guide said, head turning from side to side. "In other words..." Aang's eyes grew wide, as did mine.

"We're stuck in this canyon."

* * *

"I thought the whole point of ditching our food was so that we wouldn't _have_ to deal with things like canyon crawlers!" Sokka said testily as Katara bandaged the guide's arm; I had offered, but she had insisted that she could do it- so of course she wanted to show off to Aang.

"It's the Zhangs!" the old Gan Jin accused, pointing. "They brought food down here, even though the guide told them not to!"

"What?" the Zhang woman snapped, eyes flaring. "If there's anyone who can't go without food for a day, it's you pampered Gan Jins!" The argument continued. Aang stepped up.

"Look, sticking together is the only way to-"

"I'm not walking another step with the likes of them!" the Zhang leader interrupted. For some reason, it made me feel a bit better that my idea was rejected when it came from Aang, and not from me. If that made sense.

"Now there's an idea we can agree on," the Gan Jin said, crossing his arms. Aang turned to us.

"Any ideas?" The guide was wild-eyed.

"No bending... gotta get out of this canyon..." He was creeping me out. "I won't die down here... I won't become part of the food chain!"

"See?' the Gan Jin leader exclaimed. "We're going to become part of the food chain because of _you!_" He pointed again, and the Zhangs grumbled.

"Sure, unjustly blame the Zhangs like you always do!" the Zhang woman retorted. The Gan Jin's eyes narrowed.

"Gladly." A fierce wind began blowing.

"Enough!" It was Aang, staff planted firmly on the ground in a majestic pose. You know, for a twelve-year-old. "I thought I could help you guys get along, but I guess that's not gonna happen!" True that. Aang jumped using Airbending to land on a high above cliff. He directed with his staff as he spoke. "We'll split up. Gan Jins on this side, and Zhangs on that side. We'll travel in two separate lines." The Gan Jin and Zhang looked at each other, then nodded. They moved forward, their tribes following. Aang leapt down from the cliff to touch softly onto the ground.

"Sokka, you and Linn go with the Zhangs, and Katara and I will go with the Gan Jins. Maybe we can find out why they hate each other so much." Personally, I was offended. But that wasn't the only issue.

"No, Aang," I stated. "You're the Avatar. Going with one tribe would be like showing favoritism. Katara can go to the Gan Jins alone, and I'll stay with you while Sokka plays with the Zhangs." Aang didn't look happy, but he nodded. Katara and Sokka joined in the nodding, and we went our separate ways.

* * *

Aang and I sat quietly on top of the cliff, watching each tribe set up camp. I noticed that the Gan Jins put up their tarps, while the Zhangs didn't. Interesting.

As night fell, Aang sighed and slumped on a rock.

"Sure would be nice to be around one of those campfires," he said wistfully. "Telling stories and laughing..." I saw an opening.

"I'll bet you did that back at the Southern Temple, right?" Aang perked up. His mind was filled with questions again, and all of them were about me. Well, most of them. There was a handful of Katara, too.

"Yeah, I had a lot of good friends..." His eyes filled with remorse. I squeezed his hand comfortingly. He looked at me. "So, what did you do at the Eastern Temple? I mean, that is where you grew up, isn't it?" I let go of his hand and sighed. It was time to fess up.

"Aang..." So, how did I word this? This incredible story of our mother's deception/treachery/romance, our birth, my exile and life in the forest... it wasn't exactly your average bedtime story. But I pressed on. "I'm... not like other Air Nomads." Aang's eyes widened. "I'm... the reason you haven't seen me bending is because- I mean-" I looked away and said it. "I'm not an Airbender."

Instantly, I knew this had been the wrong way to say it. Ugh, how stupid! Now he would think I had no bending at all! But could that be good? Maybe he would take it as an explanation for everything: my mysteriousness about my background, my lack of seen bending, not to mention my shortage of typical spiritual nun-ness.

"But- all Air Nomads can bend," Aang said in shock. "Unless... I mean, this one time, I, well..." He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I thought I say you Waterbending back at Kyoshi, but I told myself it was just a dream or a hallucination..." I laughed pleasantly.

"No, I'm no Waterbender, either." Both of my statements could be argued either way, but I would worry about it later. "I'm sorry I never told you, but I was afraid you wouldn't want me as a part of your team if you knew I was such a... a reject." Aang's eyes were serious.

"No matter what, I would still want you at my side," he said with conviction. I breathed an inward sigh of relief. For a moment, there was an awkward silence. Then, for some reason I still haven't identified, I hugged him fiercely. He stiffened at first, but then he relaxed and returned the hug. It felt good- not in a weird way, but in that kind of way that makes you feel confident, successful... loved.

Momo chirruped beside us. Aang released me from our hug. I scratched her head, and she purred.

"Don't worry, Momo," I said to her. "We'll be out of here soon enough. And then we can eat our weight in leechee nuts." The three of us lay in the darkness, all thinking different thoughts. Aang's head was now definitely full of me. I had 'answered' some questions, but that opened up a lot more. I knew one day I would have to tell him the truth, but every time I saw him, my heart melted. For twelve years, I hadn't really had a brother. Now that I did, I just wanted to keep him safe. I knew Fang would kill me if she saw how I was using my precious training. I tried not to think about it; all I remember is that I fell asleep first.

* * *

I was sitting on a cliff, legs dangling off the edge, higher far than those of the Great Divide. Below me was the world, spread out in splendor. Somehow, I could see the night lanterns of Ba Sing Se, the flowing river roads of the North Pole, the fiery but beautiful volcanoes of the Fire Nation, and my own forest, right down to my favorite tree to sleep in. But none of them were really... _home._ I sighed.

"_**I have dared to dream of some far-off place, where a heart-felt welcome will be waiting me, where the crowds will cheer when they see my face, and a voice inside me say it's where I'm meant to be-. I will find a way to cross this long, far distance; I'll get there someday, so I must be strong. And for every mile, those years are worth their while; still, I'd go most anywhere to feel like I belong..."**_

A rose was beside me, somehow growing out of the cliff side. I plucked a petal off and dropped it over the edge, watching it fall. It made me think of a game: _wherever it falls is what you choose_. My eyes never strayed from the petal, and its twirling, wandering path took it to the east. I held my breath as it flew over Ba Sing Se. But it passed on, and as it drifted lower and lower, I saw where it was going. My heart sank as the petal lightly touched upon the trees of my forest and vanished in a whirl of dust and leaves. I swung my legs off the cliff side and stood up.

"_**I am on my way; I can go the distance. I don't care how far! Somehow, I'll stay strong. And for every mile, those years are worth their while. Perhaps, one day I'll find somewhere where I belong..."**_

* * *

"All clear," the guide said from a point the tribes. "We're almost to the other side." Aang and I walked down from our point above.

"Sokka, Katara," Aang said. "Will these people cooperate long enough to get out of the canyon?" Katara shook her head.

"I don't think so, Aang," she said. "The Zhangs really wronged the Gan Jins. They ambushed Jin Wei _and_ stole the Sacred Orb." I blinked groggily; after last night's dream, my sleep had been restless. The words rung a bell, but I couldn't quite place it...

"What are you talking about?" Aang said in confusion.

"Yeah, Katara, what _are_ you talking about?" Sokka put in. "Wei Jin didn't steal the orb; he was returning it to their gate and wrongfully punished by the Gan Jin."

"Not punished enough, if you ask me," Katara said, miffed. I rolled my eyes at their sibling rivalry.

"Okay, okay, I get it," Aang interrupted. "Now I need your help. Let's get everyone together at the base of the canyon wall." He triggered his glider and flew off to spiral around and land in front of the arguing people.

"Please, everyone," he said to the whole group. They quixeted down. "As soon as we get out of here, we can eat, and then we can go our separate ways. But I need you all to put your heads together and figure out a way up this cliff."

"Maybe the Zhangs can climb the wall with their long, disgusting fingernails," the lead Gan Jin suggested nastily. I let my eyes roam up the cliff. After 'confessing' I wasn't an Airbender, I somehow doubted Earthbending us up there would be a good idea. I decided to leave it as a last resort.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the Zhang leader snapped sarcastically. "I forgot that to the Gan Jins, unclipped fingernails is a crime punishable by twenty years in jail!"

"Why, you dirty thief!"

"You pompous fool!" Loud arguing ensued until Aang shouted above the clamor.

"Guys, focus!" he yelled. "How many times do I have to say it? Harsh words won't solve problems; action will!"

"Perhaps the Avatar is right," the Zhang woman said.

"Yes, perhaps he is," the Gan Jin agreed darkly. Aang gave a big smile. Then the Zhang's expression grew menacing.

"Harsh words will _never_ solve our problems!"

"Action will!" Both pulled out blades. The two blades clashed right in front of Aang, who cringed away from the wickedly sharp points. "To the death! And let it be the end of this rivalry!"

"You know, I- I take it back," Aang fumbled. "Harsh words aren't so bad!" The Zhang swung her saber and let out a cry. The two began to attack each other viciously. When they backed away, a section of the Gan Jin's beard fell off, as did one of the Zhang's small ponytails. This only increased the ferocity of the attacks, until Aang brought his staff down between the two and let a blast of air blow them both away, as well as the members of their tribes. Aang breathed heavily, clearly suffering from anxiety. Then his jaw dropped.

Scattered among the groaning members of both tribes were legs of meat, pies, vegetables, and other assorted edible items. Aang was aghast.

"Is that... _food?_ You _both_ smuggled food down here? Unbelievable! You guys put out lives in danger because you couldn't go without a snack for a day!?" The Zhang woman had been picking up the food, but she turned around as Aang ranted. "You're all... _awful!_" Suddenly his eyes became large, and I followed his gaze. His stomach rumbled.

"So... hungry..." he said, clutching his stomach. "Is that... egg custard in that tart?" I sighed in exasperation. He definitely needed some training from me, even if it wasn't bending. Without warning, an all-too-familiar sound came from behind. Aang and I whirled around to see canyon crawlers coming in large numbers... towards _us._

Everyone ran away screaming, minus me, who ran away in a more stealthy, calm fashion.

"Oh, no," Katara said, once again showing us her skills of the obvious. "That's a lot of canyon crawlers."

"We barely survived one!" Sokka said, pulling out his boomerang. By the canyon wall, the guide was backing away in fear.

"They're coming for me!" he said in hysteria. "They've had a taste, and they're coming back for me!" Sokka began to move when Katara grabbed his arm.

"Sokka, wait!" Good heavens, now what? "I don't care about this stupid feud. I just want us to get out of here alive." Well, now, don't we all?

"Me, too," Sokka replied, smiling. "I only took their side 'cause they fed me." Why was that so believable? We moved out, where the action was only just beginning.

Aang's Airbending was to no avail. He tried multiple times to blow them away, but they always returned, angrier than before. The Gan Jins squealed like the babies they were, and even the Zhangs attacks had no effect. Katara's water whipped one in the side, but another one stamped through, knocking it to the dry ground, where it was soaked in. Sokka's boomerang also hit its first target, but the numbers of the canyon crawlers were just too much.

I stopped, leaning against the wall. I had no water, earth and air were too obvious, and fire was useless here. There was a blade in my left boot, but I doubted it would affect the crawlers. I watched as they ransacked the bags of food laying scattered across the canyon floor. A bell went off in my head.

"Everybody!" Aang yelled, picking up thoughts. "Watch me and do what I do!" He grabbed a food sack and went to work. First, he tossed a loaf of bread at a group of beasts. When one began to scuttle towards him, he leapt forward, pulled the bag over its muzzle, and settled himself on top of it, riding it like an ostrich-horse. The Zhangs and Gan Jins looked at each other.

Together, the tribes baited and caught the canyon crawlers. I saw Katara and Sokka work together, as well as the tribe leaders. It was kind of heartwarming, if you took out the ferocious monsters.

"Alright! Follow me!" Aang directed when we had enough canyon crawlers. I hopped onto the crawler with him, and he waved his food bag in front of the monster's snout. "We're riding out of this hole!" He whipped the bag around so that it was up the cliff wall, and the canyon crawler began an ascent in an attempt to catch the food. The other crawlers followed, and in no time we reached the top of the cliff. Aang jumped off the crawler, and I followed suit.

"Everyone, get off!" he ordered, and as people came over the edge, they jumped off together.

"We made it!' the Zhang leader said with disbelief as she jumped off a crawler she had shared with the Gan Jin leader. When everyone had made it up, Aang threw a sack of food into the canyon. The canyon crawlers left, scurrying after it.

"I never thought a Gan Jin could get his hands dirty like that," the Zhang leader remarked, almost impressed.

"And I never knew you Zhangs were so reliable in a pinch!" the Gan Jin returned the compliment.

"Perhaps we're not so different after all," the Zhang said, smiling. It was true. The Zhangs and Gan Jins were descended from the same tribe. But that was a long and complicated story. Aang heaved a sigh of relief.

"Too bad we can't rewrite history," the Gan Jin said darkly. He pulled out his sword. "You thieves stole our Sacred Orb from Jin Wei!" The Zhang pulled out her own blade, smile gone.

"You tyrants unjustly imprisoned Wei Jin for twenty long years!" I slapped my hand to my forehead. I decided I was sick of not knowing history, so I made it up.

"Wait," I said, almost in realization. "Wei Jin? Jin Wei? I know them!"

"Yes, yes, we're all aware of the story," the Gan Jin said, eyes still trained on the Zhang.

"No, I mean I really knew them," I said quickly before the blade could start moving again. "I might not look like it, but I'm one hundred and twelve years old. I was there a hundred years ago the day it happened.

"There seems to be a lot of confusion about what happened. First off, Wei Jin and Jin Wei weren't enemies. They were brothers. Twins, in fact." I smiled at that little detail. "And they were eight. And most importantly, they were just playing a game! The Sacred Orb from the legend? That was the ball! And the Eastern and Western gates were the goal posts.

"Jin Wei had the ball and was running toward the goal when he fell and fumbled it. Wei Jin didn't steal the ball; he picked it up and started running back toward the other goal. But he stepped out of bounds, so the official put him in the penalty box. Not for twenty long years, but for two short minutes.

"There was no stealing and no putting anyone in prison. Just a game," I finished, almost marveling at my own little tale.

"You're saying the Sacred Orb was actually a sacred ball?" the Zhang said in confusion.

"Nope," I shrugged. "Just a regular ball."

"What about out tribe's redemption ritual?" the guy who had been 'saving a spot' from before exclaimed. Thankfully, I had expected that.

"That's what the game was called," I said simply. "Redemption." Actually, it was part of the long and complicated back story of the two tribes, but I wasn't about to go into that now. "When one person got the ball from one goalpost to the other, everyone yelled out, 'Redemption!'" The two leaders looked at each other with interesting expressions. "Don't misunderstand: Wei Jin could be a slob, and Jin Wei was a little stuffy; that much was true. But they respected each other's differences enough to share the same playing field."

"I suppose it's time we forget the past," the Zhang woman said. The Gan Jin bowed, hands clasped.

"And look to the future," he finished for her. She bowed in return, and I smiled. Well, at least I had brought peace somewhere in the world.

* * *

"Good to see you, boy," Aang said, jumping onto Appa's face for a hug.

"Girl," I muttered. No one paid me any mind. Appa gave him a big lick in return. The Gan Jin approached us.

"I cannot thank you enough, Avatar," he said gratefully. I was aghast. Really? After all of my hard work, really?

"Well, you know, I try," Aang said, turning around. He was covered in bison saliva, and the Gan Jin was a little surprised. By which, I mean, he actually gasped, winced, shuddered and made an expression so horrible that I had to bite down a laugh.

"Let us travel to the Earth Kingdom capitol as one tribe," the Zhang leader declared. The crowd cheered. The guide pushed past us.

"I'm goin' too!" he proclaimed as he limped by. "I'm sick of this place!"

"That's some luck you knew Jin Wei and Wei Jin," Sokka commented.

"You could call it luck," I shrugged. "Or you could call it lying."

"What?" Sokka said.

"I made the whole thing up," I further explained to him, since I clearly wasn't clear enough.

"You did not," Katara said with disbelief. Her face took on a mischievous light. "That is so wrong."

"Now where's that custard tart?" Aang butted in. "I'm starving!" I rolled my eyes as we all hopped onto Appa. I still felt a little bad about lying to Aang, but I shook it off. That was the least of my worries. There was so much I was holding back, and so much I wanted but might never have. I had to ask myself: Could I really go the distance?


	13. Demons

**A/N: Credit goes to sunflower13 for finding this song. Thank you!**

* * *

"But I made it this far!" I argued. "I've found Aang! I've guided him through his journey! I've even put up with Katara and Sokka! And one day, I can tell him..." Fang shook her head sadly.

_I had expected better from you._

"No! No!" I screamed. Suddenly, Fang's dragon form expanded, becoming a huge shadow made of... _faces!_ I saw Aang, our parents, Zuko, Momo, Fang, and thousands of simulated faces from every set Fang had ever tested me on.

_You are a failure._

"I'm not! I'm not, I'll prove it!" Tears I had never shed ran down my face. My fist clenched as I tried to think of a defense.

_You have learned nothing. Those twelve years were wasted. You are a mistake, never meant to have born!_

"No, please!" I begged. "Give me another chance! I'll fix what I did wrong!" A menacing chuckle made of a thousand voices came from the shadow.

_It is too late for second chances. Failures must be terminated. It is time for you to meet your fate!_

* * *

I screamed as I bolted awake, even as Aang cried out. Momo jumped away from us, landing on Katara and Sokka and waking them up.

"Huh? What's going on?" Sokka said blearily, holding up his machete and boomerang in sleepy defense. "Did we get captured again?"

"It was nothing," Aang said. "I just had a bad dream. Go back to sleep." I breathed an inward sigh of relief. I had learned years ago to calm my thoughts before sleep so I had peaceful dreams, if any. The exception to that was a prophecy; if my dream had been a prophecy, I was done for. But with the powerful twin connection between us, I would pick up Aang's turbulent thoughts and emotions, and that was what dreams- other than prophecies- were made of. Another thing to teach him.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Sokka mumbled and turned over. I rolled my eyes. Well, I needed to get to the bottom of this.

"Are you alright, Aang?" I asked quietly. It may not have been the best way to phrase it, but I knew something was up.

"I'm okay," he said, avoiding looking me in the eye. Yeah, right. Do NOT lie to your twin when they can read your thoughts!

"You seem to be having a lot of nightmares lately," Katara remarked. Wait, how had she known? Aang had never had a dream this bad before, or I would have felt it. Unless... "Wanna tell me about it?" Like I wasn't right there.

"I think I just need some rest," Aang replied, still not looking at either of us.

"You guys wanna hear about my dream?" Sokka suddenly said. Katara and I kept our gaze on Aang. Sokka grumbled, "That's fine. I didn't want to talk about it anyway." We laid there in silence. I wondered if a healing session would help. I knew where Aang's thoughts were heading. He blamed himself for so much, even though he was just a light-spirited kid; I was the one to blame, never meeting with Aang until now and then lying to him once I did. I was the one who deserved the nightmares, not him. I rolled over and tried to send thoughts to him, to keep him safe in his dreams and to guide him to the right choices.

* * *

Appa groaned as Katara packed up and I got ready to take the bags. Aang sat on top of Appa's head.

"Look at those clear skies, boy," he said, pointing. _Girl, girl, girl,_ I repeated silently. "Should be some smooth flying!" A perfect V formation of birds flew overhead, honking noisily. It really did seem perfect. But something wasn't right; something in the air was hanging ominously.

"Well, we better smoothly fly ourselves to a market," Katara said, bringing up an empty food bag. "'Cause we're out of food."

"Guys, wait," Sokka said, holding up his hands. "This was in my dream. We shouldn't go to the market."

"What happened in your dream?" Katara said, concerned. Sokka's eyes were wide.

"Food eats people!" Katara, Aang, and I made similar gestures of dismissal and/or disgust. "Also, Momo could talk!" He looked accusingly at Momo. "You said some very unkind things." I sighed as we lifted up and away.

* * *

"Ah, it's good; it's perfect, I'm telling you!" the market woman exclaimed as Katara held a melon up to her ear. She shook it.

"I don't know if I like the sound of that swishing," she said with doubt. The woman came out from behind her stall.

"Swishing means it's ripe!" she pointed out. "The ripe juices swishing around, huh?"

"I think it's true, Katara," Aang put in. "Swishing means it's ripe." Katara put on an angel face and replaced the melon.

"I just realized we're out of money anyway," she said with a smile, and the market woman grabbed the basket with a grunt, kicking Sokka as we left.

"Out of food and out of money," he complained. "Now what're we supposed to do?"

"You could get a job, smart guy," I suggested.

"We shouldn't go out there!" a voice from behind said. We turned around to see an old couple, the woman grabbing the man's arm. "The fish can wait! There's going to be a terrible storm!" I looked up at the cloudless sky, the swooping birds, the gentle breeze... and realized she was right. That was the feeling that had nagged me earlier!

"Ah, you're crazy; it's a nice day!" the old man dismissed. "No clouds, no wind, no nothin', so quit your naggin', woman!" I felt a surge of loathing.

"Maybe we should find some shelter?" Aang said nervously.

"Are you kidding?" Sokka said. "Shelter from what?"

"My joints say there's going to be a storm!" the old woman persisted. "A bad one."

"Well, it's your joints against my brain," the old man replied.

"Well, I hope you can find someone else to haul that fish, 'cause I ain't coming!"

"Then I'll find a _new_ fish-hauler, and pay him _double_ what you get! How do ya like _that?_"

"I'll go," Sokka volunteered, holding up his hand.

"You're hired!" the old man said, pointing at him, then folding his arms smugly. Sokka looked at out skeptical expressions.

"What?" he shrugged. "You said get a job. And he's paying double!" The old man snapped to attention.

"Double?" he said suspiciously. "Who told you that nonsense?"

"Sokka, maybe this isn't such a good idea," Aang said as we stood on the ship. "Look at the sky."

"I second that," I said, knowing my opinion didn't affect Sokka in the slightest.

"I said I was gonna do this job," Sokka said with determination as he moved supplies. "I can't back out just because of some bad weather." Aang looked back at the sky. I didn't know what to say; not because I had nothing to say, which I sure did, but because I didn't know what I could possibly say that would stop what was coming.

"The boy with the tattoos has some sense," the old woman said. "You should listen to him!" The old man straightened from where he had been leaning over a crate.

"Boy with tattoos?" he said with suspicion. He turned around. "Airbender tattoos." He approached us. "Well, I'll be a hog-monkey's uncle... you're the Avatar, ain't ya?"

"That's right," Katara said cheerfully, clearly not picking up the man's tone.

"Well, don't be so smiley about it!" the old man snapped. Aang and Katara's faces fell. "The Avatar disappeared for a hundred years!" He shoved his finger at Aang's chest. "You turned yer back on the world!"

"Don't yell at him!" Katara replied hotly. "Aang would never turn his back on anyone!"

"Oh, he wouldn't, huh?" the old man said skeptically. "Then I guess I must have imagined the last hundred years of war and suffering!"

"Aang is the bravest person I know!" Katara said protectively, stepping in front of Aang. "He has done nothing but help people and save lives since I met him!" Katara's hands were on her hips as she argued, but Aang backed away despite her eager defense. "It's not his fault he disappeared; right, Aang?" I reached out for him as Katara turned around, confusion crossing her face. "Aang, what's wrong?" Aang opened his glider and flew off. I clenched my fist angrily and brought my arm back.

"That's right, keep flying!" the old man called out.

"You're a horrible old man!" Katara shouted at him. My fist trembled as I tried to control my anger. Not now, not now, not now... The old man grunted as Katara ran across the docks to Appa and leapt onto her back, shouting, "Yip-yip!" The splash caused by Appa's take-off soaked the old man and me.

"Hey," Sokka said, emerging from the boat. "They left without saying goodbye." I whirled on the old man.

"Your friends aren't too polite, are they?" he remarked.

"I'll show you polite," I growled. "How _dare_ you speak to my brother like that?" I felt a stirring of Avatar spirit in me, my eyes threatening to glow. A wind stirred up behind me, and my long brown braid began to sway, beginning to come loose. "How _dare_ you, an insignificant elderly peasant, speak to the Avatar as if he was a traitor? You shall pay for your crimes!" I was almost rising off the ground now. Sokka's eyes were wide with fear.

"Linn?" he said in a quivering voice. I was beyond reason, even my own. The rain started to sprinkle, and my hand moved to bend it. I would shatter the old man with icicles; or maybe I could sweep him into the ocean. Drowning, a fitting death for a weak fisherman.

My hand rose high into the air, ready to bring down my terrible power upon him, when I collapsed, my vision spotty. I was being torn apart from the inside, and the last thing I remembered was Sokka and the old man looking down at me... and they were afraid.

* * *

_I was watching Aang. Not the Aang I knew, but a younger, lighter Aang, an unburdened Aang. He was laughing and smiling with other Air Nomad children, and soon he was up in front of them._

"_First you form the ball," he said, forming one. He leapt on top of it as he added, "Then you gotta get on quick." He raced around on his air ball, whooping as he twisted and turned._

"_Okay, here goes!" one kid said. He formed the ball._

"_Quick, get on!" Aang said, and the tall boy did, but he spun with the air and was flung off. Aang helped him up with a smile._

"_You kinda gotta balance on it like it's a top." He spun a finger in the air._

"_Man, that's hard," the kid groaned. _

"_Where'd you learn that trick, Aang?" a younger boy tugged at his sleeve._

"_I made it up," Aang said. I smiled at Aang's ingenuity and kindness. He was a brother to be proud of... wasn't he?_

"_Wow!" The kid spun around happily until the five Head Monks appeared._

"_Aang, come with us," Monk Gyatso said. "We need to speak with you." Aang left the other kids, smile gone. I was suddenly swept into a room in the temple; the Head Monks sat on their pedestals, Aang at their feet._

"_How do you know it's me?" he said with confusion._

"_We have known you were the Avatar for some time," Monk Jun said. He pulled a rolled-up object from his sleeve and tossed it to Aang. "Do you remember this?" The object unfolded when it landed, revealing four toys._

"_Those were some of my favorite toys when I was little!" Aang exclaimed._

"_You chose them from among thousands of toys, Aang," the monk continued. "The toys you picked were the four Avatar relics. These items belong to Avatars past. Your own past lives."_

"_I just chose them because they seemed fun," Aang said simply, spinning one of the toys so it whirred across the room._

"_You chose them because they were familiar," Jun replied._

"_Normally, we would have told you of your identity when you turned sixteen," Gyatso put in. "But there are troubling signs... storm clouds are gathering." I gasped; Fang had told me the exact same thing not too long before- before __**it**__ had happened._

"_I fear war may be upon us, young Avatar," Monk Hao said._

"_We need you, Aang." Aang bowed his head._

* * *

_Then I was spun into a new room, one adorned with Fire Nation emblems and designs. A young boy with a pony tail walked down a hallway. He went up to the guards in front of a doorway, but they did not move._

"_Let me in!" he demanded._

"_Prince Zuko, what's wrong?" a young version of the Uncle Iroh I had seen said._

"_I want to go into the war chamber, but the guard won't let me pass!" the young Zuko explained._

"_You're not missing anything, trust me," Iroh said with a wink, pulling Zuko to the side. I reached out and stroked the side of Zuko's face where his scar would be. So smooth, untouched by the pain of war... the story continued without feeling my touch. "These meetings are dreadfully boring."_

"_If I'm going to rule this nation one day, don't you think I need to start learning as much as I can?" Zuko's face shone with eagerness._

"_Very well," Iroh allowed. "But you must promise not to speak. These old folks are a bit sensitive, you know."_

"_Thank you, Uncle!" Zuko bowed, and the two headed into the room, the guards allowing them to pass._

_Inside, the room was even more depressing than the hall; a long table was set in the center, men of 'importance' sitting at it, and a dark figure seated on a throne surrounded by bright flames._

"_The Earth Kingdom defenses are concentrated here," a general stated, motioning on a giant map. "A dangerous battalion of their strongest Earthbenders and fiercest warriors... So I am recommending the forty-first division." He slid pieces along the map with a short pole._

"_But the forty-first is entirely new recruits," one man protested. How do you expect them to defeat a powerful Earth Kingdom battalion?"_

"_I don't," the general said with a dark smile. "They'll be used as a distraction while we attack from the rear. What better to use as bait than fresh meat?" I was horrified. So was my other half._

"_You can't sacrifice an entire division like that!" Zuko burst out. "Those soldiers love and defend our nation! How can you betray them?" Everyone stared at him, their faces frightening in the light of the flames._

* * *

_My vision was twisted again, and I was back at the Air Temple. Kids raced around on balls of air, their faces light and happy._

"_Hey, not bad," Aang said as they laughed. "You guys have been practicing." The little kid from before came up to him on his air ball._

"_No only that," he said happily. "But we made up a game you can play with the Air Scooters!"_

"_Great!" Aang replied, and formed an Air Scooter. He leapt on, but as he did, all of the other Air Nomad kids jumped off theirs. Aang was confused. "What's going on?"_

"_Now that you're the Avatar, it's kind of an unfair advantage for whichever team you're on," the tall kid shrugged._

"_But I'm still the same," Aang said. "Nothing's changed." He looked at the stoic faces around him. "So, what? I can't play?"_

"_That's the only fair way," Tall Kid replied._

"_Oh," Aang said sadly. "Okay." He walked away, head bowed._

"_Sorry, Aang," the littled kid said quietly. My view changed again, and Aang and Gyatso were playing Pai Sho. Aang didn't look like his heart was in it as he moved a piece, barely looking at the board._

"_Very interesting move, young one," Gyatso mused._

"_What do you mean?" Aang said, looking up. A spiral of air raced over their heads, coming behind Aang and flipping his tunic over his head. Gyatso switched two pieces, and Aang fixed his tunic._

"_Hey!" he said, pointing. They both laughed. I was glad Gyatso had been chosen as Aang's mentor; he was the perfect fit for Aang, and would have trained him well. Would have... Monk Jun appeared in the doorway._

"_You're playing games with him?" he said, surprised. His expression, however, was grim. "The Avatar should be training!"_

"_Aang has already trained enough for today," Gyatso replied._

"_Time is short," Jun said curtly. "Come with me. I must test you on some high level techniques." Aang got up to leave._

"_No," Gyatso said suddenly, holding up his hand to stop Aang. "As long as I am his guardian, I will decided when he trains... and when he gets his butt kicked at Pai Sho." I covered my mouth, as invisible as it was, to hide a smile. Jun grunted and stormed off. Aang turned back and smiled as well, and I felt another surge of joy at having a brother. There was little time for that, though, because once again I was placed in new surroundings._

* * *

_Now I was in an arena, a boy crouching. People were cheering as he stood up and turned aorund, letting his light cloak fall from his shoulders and taking a defensive position. His face changed so suddenly I almost didn't recognize it as Zuko. He was so scared, and I turned to see the figure he looked at with such horror. Before I could see the face of the person who dared scare my soulmate, my location changed again._

* * *

_I was back in the Air Temple room where Aang had received the life-changing news. Gyatso and Jun stood in front of Monk Hao, but another was here. I looked up to see Aang peering through a gap in the weathered ceiling._

"_Aang needs to have freedom and fun," Gyatso declared. "He needs to grow up as a normal boy." Was that right? I certainly grown up as a normal girl, and look at the knowledge I had; I could take on the world if I had full Avatar powers._

"_Hmph," Jun grunted. "You cannot keep him from his destiny."_

"_Gyatso," Monk Hao said calmly. "I know you mean well, but you are letting your affection for the boy cloud your judgement."_

"_All I want is what's best for him," Gyatso replied._

"_But what we need is what's best for the world," Hao countered. He looked sad as he said, "You and Aang must be separated. The Avatar will be sent away to the Eastern Air Temple to complete his training." Gyatso bowed his head. I glanced back at Aang; his eyes were wide, and I wished I could have said how I would have felt. My eyes grew a little hot for a moment, and then the scene was replaced by Aang's room. _

_He stood at the window, watching the other children laugh and play. He walked away from it, throwing himself on the bed. I watched as he lay there for a while. Eventually, he got up and pulled out a piece of parchment. His hand hesitated over the scroll. It would write, pause, and continue. I peered over his shoulder as he wrote. I realized what he was saying._

"_No, Aang!" I said, trying to grab the scroll. But I wasn't solid, and my hand passed through the table. "You can't run away from your destiny! You can't just leave!" Aang heard nothing of what I said, and rolled the scroll up. He tied it and gently lay it on the table, sighing. Then he popped open his glider and leapt out the window._

_Now I was hovering above a stormy sea, impossibly watching from the skies as Appa and Aang flew through the pounding rain. Lightning flashed and Aang cried out. I could do nothing as he crashed into the water, Appa's head coming up only once before disappearing for good. I clenched my fist and controlled the urge to call out for him. I knew this was the past. I couldn't change it, no matter how much I wanted to. A burst of glow lit up the waters, and then I was at an arctic landscape, seeing Aang being awakened by Katara._

_Emotions that weren't mine raced through me: pain, anger, betrayal, loss... but then hope, comfort, __**love**__. I couldn't possibly understand why Aang had done what he did- no, I did understand, but I couldn't explain it. I still didn't know why I was seeing this; surely Aang would keep such memories buried deep inside? And why did I see Zuko as well?_

* * *

_As if my mind heard me, I was taken back to the arena of cheering Fire Nation. Zuko's face was still scared and confused, and now I could see the great shadow that towered over him._

"_Please, Father!" he begged. I gasped. "I only have the Fire Nation's best interests at heart! I'm sorry I spoke out of turn!" The figure approached him._

"_You will fight for your honor," it growled. Zuko bowed down._

"_I meant you no disrespect," he pleaded. "I am your loyal son."_

"_Rise and fight, Prince Zuko!" The shadow of the figure fell over Zuko._

"_I won't fight you!" Zuko protested, bowing lower._

"_You __**will**__ learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher!" Zuko trembled as he looked up, tears running down his face. I saw sneering faces in the crowd smile at Zuko's anguish. Among the people present was Uncle Iroh, and I saw him look away. I watched, mute, as Zuko's father scarred him. I have always taken pride in my hard-core, but the sight made me bite my lip in hope that it would stop the tears from running down my face. It didn't._

* * *

I saw echoes of a young Zuko in my vision even as I pried my eyes open. I was in the belly of the ship; that much I could tell. The world was swaying, but I doubted it was the blood rushing from my head back to normal circulation. Fish heads adorned the wall, although to what purpose, I had no clue. I stifled a groan as I got to my feet.

I realized there was water on the floor when I brushed off my Water Tribe clothing, only to find it soaked from the back of the waist down. I attempted to Waterbend it dry, but nothing happened. I tried again, but only on the third try did the water peel away from my clothes. I clenched my fists, but began to Waterbend the water on the floor back to the point where it had come in. It didn't go nearly as fast as it should have, but eventually I was able to freeze it in the spot and stop the leak. My work being done, I located an exit and headed up.

The condition of the deck was much worse. The boat was being tossed upon the seas like a plaything, and I had to grab a rope as soon as I emerged from below. Sokka and the old man were already doing the same, holding on for dear life as the ship lurched.

"I'm too young to die!" Sokka shouted over the storm.

"I'm not, but I still don't wanna!" the old man answered. Suddenly, I saw a shape overhead.

"It's Aang!" I shouted to them. They gave me strange looks, but then glanced over anyway as he brought Appa up to the ship and leapt onto the deck. Lightning flashed, and a mast began to fall. I had only begun to loosen my grip on the rope when Aang Waterbended columns of water, splitting the mast in two and saving Sokka and the old man, who clutched each other tightly. Aang brought a rope from Appa.

"Hang on to the rope!" he told us, but instead I grabbed it and shot up along its length, quickly landing on Appa. A few moments later, Aang had leapt on, and Sokka and the old man were flung onto the saddle. The old man spat out some water, and they both grinned with relief.

But out troubles weren't over. I watched as the boat I had been on not so long ago went past us... and it went _up_. A huge waves loomed over us, and the boat wasn't the only thing it intended to devour. Appa tried to fly away, but it caught up to us and took us under.

It was so quiet underwater, so peaceful. We were floating, almost like flying, and there was no storm here. I knew somewhere deep inside me, I wanted to get back to the surface and breathe, but another part of me said to just stay and let the water wash away everything. Water could heal; it could protect...

No. My eyes glowed with the same Avatar spirit as Aang's, and together we grabbed Appa's reins. Aang seated himself on Appa, and I sat behind, holding on to him, strengthening him and guiding him. Aang created a sphere around us, and we flew out of the water. We were in the eyes of the storm, and high above was a break in the clouds that let in a little sunlight and that let us know there was hope.

I looked back and saw Zuko watching from his own ship. His eyes were stormy, and I felt a stab of longing. But we had flown into the clouds, and it was too late to tell him that I understood like no one else did.

* * *

"Oh, you're alive!" The old woman came running out from the depths of the cave and hugged the old man. She then added, "You owe this boy an apology!"

"He doesn't have to apologize," Aang said; he was too forgiving, if you ask me. A memory flashed through my head: me at the docks, threatening the old man and nearly going into a half-Avatar state. Oops.

"Well, what if instead of an apology, I give him a free fish and we call it even?" he said. Maybe the same memory went through his head. Again, oops.

"Actually, I don't eat meat," Aang said helpfully.

"Fish ain't meat," the old man said. I winced at his grammar.

"Seriously, you're still gonna pay me, right?" Sokka said, holding out his hand. A fish landed in it, and he made a strangled noise. I laughed at him, in my head.

"Katara, I think you were right before," Aang said, approaching her. "I'm done dwelling on the past." I didn't pry into his memories to find out what had happened; I thought I could guess.

"Really?" she said, too surprised for comfort.

"I can't make guesses about what would've happened if I hadn't run away," he continued. "I'm here now and I'm going to make the most of it."

"I don't think you're gonna have those nightmares anymore," Katara said with a smile. The old man came up to the pair.

"If you weren't here now... well, I guess I wouldn't be either," the old man said. "Thank you for saving my life, Avatar." He then came to me, where I stood quietly in the corner watching everyone else.

"I don't know who exactly you are, or what you may be, but I can tell you right now that you're powerful," he said, catching me off guard. "And I'll also tell you this: you watch out for that brother of yours, because he's goin' to save the world some day." I nodded solemnly, unsure what I could say to that.

"Do you hear that?" Sokka broke in. "It stopped raining." We all left the cave and watched the sun slowly pull out from the clouds. It was a happy scene. Until Appa shook herself and sprayed us with water. At that moment, I was pretty content. But there was still one thing I had to do.

* * *

"Hey, Sokka," I said as we flew low over the water. I was laying on my stomach at the edge of the saddle, watching my reflection. For fun, I Waterbended the surface directly beneath me so that my reflection kept up with us and was completely unbroken.

"What?" he said tentatively. I took a deep breath. I had to do this.

"Come here," I beckoned, and he sat down beside me, although he didn't look happy about it. I kept my eyes on the reflection as I talked, wanting to get every word right. "About earlier..." His reflection, wavering as it was, looked at me, suddenly very focused. "I... I don't know how you felt about that, but I just want you to know..."

"Stop," he said, quiet but firm. I shut my mouth. "Listen, Linn, I'm not sure what exactly went on back there, but I convinced my self I was hallucinating on fish fumes, and I refuse to believe otherwise. So... so there." Well, that was easily resolved. I was still uncomfortable about it, though, and I kept watching the water. A fish swam underneath my reflection, and it looked choppy and out of place with my perfect portrait. Suddenly, the eyes of Sokka's reflection were trained on my reflection. They widened.

"But... that's not scientifically possible," he spluttered. I bit my lip, praying he would forget about it. How foolish of me. "How are you doing that?" Suddenly, my control on the reflection fell apart, returning my image to a broken mirror. I hadn't done it on purpose; my Waterbending had gone off again. I cursed inwardly and kept my features calm.

"I wasn't doing anything," I said non-suspiciously. But then my façade shattered. I knew Sokka was smart- even if I didn't always believe it and he didn't always act like it- and I couldn't just fix it in his brain that my lies were the truth. Not yet, anyway. I let the expression fall and allowed a little of my true emotions to show.

"_**When the days- are cold, and the brave- and bold and the saints- we believed are no longer gold,"**_ I said quietly, not knowing how much Sokka would understand. I looked at him and he watched me: two wary creatures trying to discover who knew the other best._** "When our dreams- all fail and the ones- we hailed are the cruelest of all and their blood's run stale: I cannot hide the truth; I cannot shelter you. We all have beasts inside; there's nowhere we can hide. No matter what we breed, some still are made of greed. And now their kingdom falls: and now their kingdoms fall." **_Sokka seemed shocked by the bold statements, but he didn't leave. That was a good sign._** "Do you feel the heat? Look into my eyes: are there demons inside? Demons down deep inside; don't get too close. It could be dark inside, if that's where demons hide, if that's where demons hide."**_ Sokka seemed to register what I was saying, and he actually reached out and _took my hand._ He squeezed it, and I smiled hesitantly. Was I saying this right? _**"At the curt-ain's call, who is last- of all? When the lights- fade out, on their knees, who falls? We'll be dig-ging graves, and the mas-querade will be- revealed, and a mess we've made. I cannot let him down; I was raised to be bound. But it's also for you, I cannot hide the truth: No matter what we breed, some still are made of greed. And then their kingdom falls; I'll make sure that they fall."**_ Sokka let go of my hand and looked hard at me.

"_**When you say 'the heat', I look at your eyes. There aren't demons inside, no demons there inside. I must get close, if just for the 'why', but no, no demons hide; there's no demons inside."**_ I could tell that he believed it. But he knew nothing. Nothing about me, and nothing about the future.

"_**They say it's what you make, but I know that there's fate."**_ I let my eyes drop back to the water below._** "It's been writ in my soul, but I just can't let go. His eyes, they shine so bright; I want to save that light. I can't escape it now. No one can show me how-"**_

"_**When you say 'the heat', little can I surmise. But I know demons hide, and demons aren't inside."**_

"_**Don't get too close,"**_ I responded, looking at his reflection. Even those eyes were filled with concern. I knew he cared. _**"It could be dark inside. You say no demons hide, but I believe in mine."**_

Sokka reached out to take my hand again, but he suddenly pulled back and coughed long and hard. I let my head fall onto my arms. Demons could be so many things: greed, lust, gluttony, and beyond. I felt so torn apart inside- what kind of demons were mine?


	14. I'm Not The One

Sokka coughed hard, inhaling sharply between coughs so he could breathe. I felt bad for him, but a little part of me said it was good that he was sick; incapacitated as he was, he could never tell anyone what I had revealed to him not so long ago. I was still unsure whether I should regret the decision or not. I sat by our things, thinking, as Katara took care of Sokka.

"This should bring your fever down," she said as she dabbed at his head with a wet cloth. Sokka was shaking in his sleeping bag, but he still smiled deliriously.

"You know what I love about Appa the most?" he sniffled, sounding horribly congested. "His sense of humor."

"That's nice," Katara said gently. "I'll tell him." I had given up saying 'girl, girl, girl' to myself or quietly aloud because it had absolutely no effect whatsoever. But I still gave Appa a sympathetic look as she groaned kindly in reply. Sokka laughed.

"Classic Appa," he murmured. Aang walked over to the pair.

"How's Sokka doing?" he asked.

"Not so good," Katara replied. "Being out in that storm really did a number on him." I examined my fingers, looking closely at the even placement of my cuticles. I knew exactly what was affecting Sokka, and I'd be useless if I didn't know how to cure it. The question was, did I want to? If I let his illness go on long enough, three days of memory could be wiped out. I'd be safe from him blabbing- but he would be in danger if I did that, not to mention missing three days of his life. I sighed. I had to do the right thing. Silently, I crept from the cave and headed towards the swamp.

* * *

I coughed violently, wheezing as I gasped for air. I would have groaned, but the precious oxygen was needed. I should have been more careful about catching Sokka's illness! However, it was too late to worry about that now. I stumbled clumsily over tree roots and stones and waded into the filthy water. My hands reached down and searched beneath the surface.

I was shivering now, and my hands were finding nothing to grasp other than slimy rocks. I wrapped my arms around myself for warmth, but my wet sleeves did little to help. I was shaking so violently, I began to work my way to a fallen tree in hopes of- well, I didn't know what I was hoping for, but staying in the water was doing me no good.

I was almost to dry land when my vision went blurry and I collapsed, sinking beneath the clouded waters of the marsh.

* * *

_Zuko blasted fire across the deck. He was so angry: at himself, at Zhao, at that strange girl who traveled with the Avatar, the one was so..._

"_Is everything okay?" Uncle asked. Zuko clenched his fists and was silent. "It's been almost an hour and you haven't given the men an order."_

"_I don't care what they do!" he snapped._

"_Don't give up hope yet," Uncle said. "You can still find the Avatar before Zhao."_

"_How, Uncle?" Zuko said desperately, whirling around. His eyes were wide with the pain and emotions he was experiencing. "With Zhao's resources, it's only a matter of time before he captures the Avatar." He turned back to watch the sea that was so deceptively calm. It should have been like him, turbulent and lost. "My honor, my throne, my country... I'm about to lose them all." He bowed his head, feeling more alone than ever before. But then he remembered that he wasn't. He had a, ahem, __**guest**__ waiting for him in his room. He stormed off the deck without a word and descended to find the answers he had been seeking._

* * *

For most people, when they wake up, they don't expect after collapsing in a swamp to be laying on a bed in a bedroom on a Fire Nation ship, watching a banished prince be moody by the open door while not realizing you're awake. But I'm not most people.

"Which angry question should I ask first?" I croaked, pushing myself up to a sitting position. My throat felt dry, and I swallowed as Zuko whirled around.

"You're awake," he stated. I rolled my eyes, although it hurt my brain more than it gave me satisfaction.

"Oh, good, I thought I had died and gone to-" I stopped suddenly. "Why am I here?"

"Listen, I need you to trust me," he began.

"_Trust you?_" I exploded. I swung my legs off the bed, defying the shakiness I felt, and stormed up to him. "I passed out and woke up on your_ bed_, and you want me to _trust you?_" I immediately regretted how that had come out. Zuko didn't seem affected by it, though. He just looked at me with stormy, burning eyes.

"I need you to trust me," he repeated. "I need it." I didn't speak out this time, just waited. When he saw that I didn't kick down his door and escape, he continued. "Who are you? And why..." He didn't finish.

"My name is Linn," I stated. Did I want to give him more than that? Stars, I did, but he was the enemy! I shouldn't have been here, let alone start chatting with the banished prince chasing my brother!

"I... I don't..." Zuko was having trouble putting into words what he wanted to say. But I already knew.

"Why do I make you feel this way?" I said for him. His eyes flared in surprise, but he nodded mutely. "It's a little complicated." I smiled a little, and it was a pleasant smile. I could see Zuko's lips twitch, as if he wanted to smile too, but it didn't last.

"You should tell me what I want to know," he said, trying to be angry. We were unbearably close, and I could almost feel his emotions rolling off of him in hot waves. I reached up to put a finger to his lips, but he slapped my hand away. It stung, but not as much as my pride.

Looking at him, some might feel contempt, but I could feel nothing but sorrow. I understood him... but he didn't seem to know that. He didn't know that he was a part of me, and I a part of him. I could only speak the words I knew would reach him like a strike to his soul.

"_**You're never too young to be broken... You're never too young to fall apart-."**_ I watched his eyes closely. There was a spark in them, a flame of recognition. _**"Everyone thinks you're meant for games; don't care about your heart-, don't care about your heart..."**_

"_**Did it have to start?" **_He spoke softly._** "Did it break my heart? Could he have talked to me? Drove me off of the edge, spun around in my head, everything turned dark to me... Everything fell apart, and I broke into two parts, but was it one new side or two?"**_

"_**Do these words slide off your tongue?"**_ I scoffed, suddenly skeptical of his opening to me. That wasn't his nature... but was I changing him?_** "You know you're never too young to have someone lie to you- I'm not the one, I'm not the one who tried to hurt you... I'm not the one, I'm not the one who had to burn you..." **_Zuko touched his scar as I spoke, but I couldn't back down now._** "You better find somebody else, or get a hold of yourself. I'm not the one, I'm not the one who wants to hurt you-..."**_ It hurt me to say it, but Zuko needed to understand. He needed to know I understood him, and that I- I-..._** "You're never too young to be broken... You're never too young to fall apart..."**_

"_**Have I already been pulled into these games?" **_Zuko asked, his eyes burning with so many feelings. I nodded. He sighed and looked away._** "Did it have to start?- Did it have to start?... It was the second he lit the fire in his hand he forgot who I used to be. Didn't bite his lip, didn't even slip."**_

"_**He's a poison, can't you see?-" **_I begged him to understand, _**"I'm not the one, I'm not the one who tried to hurt you. I'm not the one, I'm not the one who had to burn you. You better find somebody else, or get a hold of yourself. I'm not the one, I'm not the one who wants to hurt you... Chase the poison lightly; there are deeper and darker things than you." **_I thought of my encounter from when I left the forest for the first time. _**"I know... I've seen them, too-... I know it must be frightening, like the world's falling out from right under your shoes. Trust me, you'll make it through- I'm not the one, I'm not the one who tried to hurt you. I'm not the one, I'm not the one who had to burn you. You better find somebody else, or get a hold of yourself. I'm not the one, I'm not the one who wants to hurt you-... I'm not the one, I'm not the one who wants to hurt you. I'm not the one, I'm not the one who wants to hurt you. I'm not the one, I'm not the one who wants to hurt you. I'm not the one, I'm not the one who wants to hurt you..."**_

Zuko stared at me, his eyes so full of pain that I was dying inside. But I knew who I had to choose.

"I love you, Zuko," I whispered softly, meaning it, and I knew he heard me. "I hope you know and believe that. But Aang is my brother. And if I choose him, I choose the world. So I choose him." Then I kissed him softly, feeling his heat, and ran out the door.

* * *

In the forest, I curled up into a ball and sat silent for a while. Then I burst into tears. I hadn't expected it, since I had almost never cried. At the beginning of my training, probably around three years old, I cried a lot. But Fang told me that crying doesn't solve problems. And sometimes, it only create more. After that, I only cried when things were really painful.

I thought of a dozen memories of Fang. She had taught me how to handle every weapon of the age, guided me through the steps of maneuvering and winning an argument, and showed me how to save lives in more ways than I could count. She had been a mentor... but she had also been a mother. She had 'held' me when I was too miserable to train, nursed my wounds when I couldn't do it myself, and showed me how to be a woman. It hadn't always been easy, since she was a dragon and I was a human, but she had given me the greatest amount of the greatest gift: knowledge.

I knew so much, and yet I had used it so little. I had shared practically nothing since I arrived, and contributed near nothing as well. I was pretending to be a non-bender to Aang, and I had just told Sokka that the greatest battle the world had ever known was coming. I was such a... a failure! I buried my head in my hands, the tears still flowing. How could I have done so horribly at the duty I had trained for my whole life?

A sudden feeling of panic rose up in me. But it wasn't mine. In my head, I saw archers shooting at me, pinning one arm to a fallen tree. I Waterbended a wall of water and froze it with the free arm, but three arrows shattered the wall. Soon, that arm was trapped too, and a net was launched, binding me in finality.

I closed my eyes, even though it wouldn't erase the scene. Aang was in trouble! But what could I do? My bending hardly ever worked, it seemed, and I had told too many tales to the ones who trusted me. I was so angry: at myself, at the world, at Zuko... _Zuko!_

It dawned on me what I should do. I still trembled, and my physical advantages would do me no good in this state, but my mental powers were as strong as ever! I couldn't leave Aang trapped in whatever hole they were taking him to; Zuko was the only option I really had.

Or was he? Could I really use a person as a puppet for my personal gain, like Fang had warned me others would do? Was I really willing to take advantage of my other half like that?

"I have to," I said aloud. "I _have_ to." It wasn't just for my personal gain; it was for the world. And, after all, I needed bonding time with Zuko, didn't I? I closed my eyes and reached out, following the thread that bound us together tighter than a lifeline.

* * *

_Zuko straightened in his room. His lips were burning from the mark made by the girl- by Linn- and he felt hot and twitchy. But there was something more. He thought about what Linn had said: 'If I choose him, I choose the world. So I choose him.' And an echo in his head added, 'I love you, Zuko.' What did it mean?_

_An image of the Avatar in chains danced through his mind. Suddenly, he knew: Zhao had captured the Avatar. Zuko was furious. He hadn't expected it to be so soon- then again, Zhao was the incarnate of the unexpected. He was a proud and deceitful man, and Zuko hated him with all his heart._

_Zuko leaned against the wall. He was sure of what he had to do. The thing that he wasn't entirely sure of was why he was doing it._

* * *

_Zuko watched silently from the bushes, his mask hiding anything his face might have shown. A cart approached in the distance. He tensed, ready to break into Zhao's fortress._

_A few minutes later, Zuko was clinging to the bottom of the cart. He held on tight and focused on the thing that was driving him: to rescue the Avatar._

_When the cart stopped, lights could be seen shining from the side of the cart. "All clear," a voice said. Zuko stayed perfectly still as the light moved. When it reached the opposite side, Zuko rolled stealthily and with ease, and was in the back of the cart before anyone could see. "All clear," the voice repeated. "Go on in." And the cart moved on._

* * *

_Now the cart was in a yard, and the darkness lent cover to Zuko as he crept out from under the cart and through a doorway. He felt inside him a tug that he knew would lead him to the Avatar. He heard Zhao giving his victory speech as he crept past two guards who were fixated on the scene._

"_The only thing that stood in our way was the Avatar," Zhao boomed. "And I am here to tell you that he is now my prisoner!" Cheers erupted. "This is the year Sozin's Comet returns to grant us its power!" More cheers. "This is the year the Fire Nation breaks through the walls of Ba Sing Se, and burns the city to the ground!" The soldiers were ecstatic, but Zuko paid it no mind. He went along a wall and threw his rope down, sliding down it and continuing. He flew across the empty yard and jumped into the sewer grate. His thin figure slipped through the bars and took him closer to the Avatar._

_Then he was in the hall, and, barely thinking about it, took down the guard that shared the space. His helmet rolled away and down the hall, and a soldier soon appeared, arms in a ready stance. Zuko dispatched him quickly with a burst of flame. He heard the footsteps of more soldiers and nimbly leapt onto the ceiling, using the soldier he had tied up as a distraction. As the two new men stared, Zuko swung down and nailed them with a chain._

_By strategy and newfound instinct, he knew there was one guard left. He quickly raced around the corner and threw a knife, knocking the horn from the soldier's hand before he could alert anyone. The soldier Firebended at him, but Zuko used the bucket of water he had prepared to douse the blast and finished off the soldier._

_His heart raced a little as he opened the door and shut it behind him. The Avatar gasped when he saw him. Zuko's first instinct was to touch his scar, but he realized it as his mask. Zuko took a silent, deep breath and pulled out his broadswords. The Avatar screamed as he ran up to him and swung the swords. They sliced neatly through the chains holding the Avatar, and the Avatar, no longer screaming, looked at first his broken bonds and then Zuko in amazement. Zuko finished the shackles with a two more strokes, and then walked toward the door, trusting the Avatar to follow him._

"_Who are you?" the Avatar called out. "What's going on? Are you here to rescue me?" Zuko rolled his eyes behind his mask and opened the door. He beckoned with a sword. The Avatar walked forward, smiling. "I'll take that as a yes." The guards grunted as they walked past, but Zuko didn't stop. He was so close now, so close to actually walking away with the prize he had held so dear for nearly three years._

"_Frogs!" the Avatar exclaimed. "Come back! And stop thawing out!" Zuko went back and grabbed the Avatar by the neck of his tunic, pulling him away. "Wait! My friends need to suck on those frogs!'_

_The Avatar and Zuko inched along underneath the sewer grate, watching carefully as soldiers moved above. Zuko peaked his head up at a safe point to get a look around. He eyed the soldiers and the wall, then came back down and motioned to the Avatar to go up._

_They were climbing the rope, unbearably close to escape, when an alarm began to blare._

"_There! On the wall!" someone shouted, and Zuko looked down as a commotion started. Suddenly, their rope was cut and they were falling. Luckily, the Avatar Airbended them down gently. Of course, their troubles weren't over. Zuko motioned with a sword to the wall they needed to head for and they were off._

"_The Avatar has escaped!" Zhao announced from some high and mighty position. "Close all the gates immediately!" Zuko wanted to swear, but knew his rasp would give him away._

"_Stay close to me!" the Avatar said as he pulled ahead. Zuko obeyed, and watched Aang blow and entire row of soldiers out of their way. Zuko gave a small smile. The Avatar was handy to have around. However, more soldiers came at him, and he had to stop to exchange blows. He swung at every spear that came, but he was beginning to tire. From somewhere came new strength as the Avatar raced, clearing away the soldiers that had surrounded him._

_With a blast of air, the Avatar flung both himself and Zuko into the air, landing them neatly on the top of a wall. Zuko held his swords at the ready as more soldier came from both sides. The Avatar suddenly grabbed Zuko with his feet and whirled a staff of some sort around his head, lifting them into the air. Zuko kicked away the spear that came towards them, but he knew the Avatar couldn't hold them up like this forever._

_As if responding to his thoughts, a spear sent the Avatar and Zuko out of the air to land roughly on the top of a new wall. Soldiers emerged from trap doors and headed towards them. The Avatar dispatched one, and as he fought a second, Zuko grabbed the soldier and threw him off the wall. Zuko picked up a dropped sword and let the Avatar blow away the rest of the soldiers._

_The endless supply of soldiers continued, now bringing ladders from the ground. As some began to reach the top, Zuko put his swords to use. The Avatar cleared two other ladders with gusts of wind, and the soldiers screamed as they were added to the group of downed foes._

"_Take this!" the Avatar said, wielding a ladder. Zuko took it, and the Avatar then stepped on top of a ladder leaning on the wall "Jump on my back!" The ladder began to bend away from the wall. Zuko held on as tightly as he could and let down the ladders, realizing that the Avatar was using them as giant stilts._

"_Give me the next one!" the Avatar shouted, and Zuko handed over the last ladder. The ladder was just enough to reach their goal, but fire raced up to the pair, and the Avatar desperately leaped for the wall. His fingers grasped it, but they slipped, and the two fell to the ground. Zuko pulled out his swords again. The soldier Firebended fiercely at the Avatar and Zuko, and the Avatar held it off with a sphere of air._

"_Hold your fire!" came Zhao's voice, and the assault ended. "The Avatar must be captured alive!" Zuko smiled darkly within his mask; he would use power, just like Zhao, to manipulate and get what he wanted. His swords went to the Avatar's throat._

_Somewhere inside him, a voice was telling him that it wasn't the answer. But Zuko's eyes were soulless pools as they stared straight into Zhao's._

"_Open the gate," Zhao growled. Zuko triumphantly smiled behind his mask._

"_Admiral, what are you doing?" a shocked man said._

"_Let them out!" Zhao snapped. "Now!" The gate creaked open behind Zuko, and he slowly backed away, his swords ever at the Avatar's neck. The gate closed with the same squeal, and Zuko tried to stay calm as he continued backward. He had done it! At last, he had captured the Avatar!_

_They were at the crossroads when the arrow hit him and sent him spiraling into darkness._

* * *

"No!" I cursed, swaying; I had been so deep in Zuko's mind, the blow to his head had sent black across my vision. Aang was free, but without Zuko, could he stand on his own? I flicked myself mentally. I, of all people, shouldn't have doubted the powers of my twin. And when I slipped into his mind and saw him rescue Zuko, I knew I had been right.

Now that I had done my work, I decided to head to the swamp. I felt nauseous, and I still trembled slightly. I figured the frozen frogs would cure me within a minute, and Aang would never be the wiser. Or I could hope, anyway.

As I waded through the swamp, I saw the arrows and markings that showed what had happened. I didn't need my tracking skills to decipher it, though; I had seen it all in my mind. My fingers absent-mindedly dipped beneath the surface, and I found something cold and polished. I smiled slightly as I pulled a frozen frog out of the water, gave it a quick clean, and promptly put it in my mouth and sucked on it.

* * *

"_You know what the worst part about being born over a hundred years ago is?" The Avatar's voice penetrated the fog that surrounded Zuko's mind. His vision cleared, and he swallowed as he realized that he was lying on the ground, his mask no longer hiding his face. "I miss all the friends I used to hang out with. Before the war started, I used to always visit my friend Kuzon." The Avatar smiled at the memory. "The two of us, we used to get in and out of so much trouble together. He was one of the best friends I ever had. And he was from the Fire Nation, just like you." The Avatar looked at Zuko, his eyes wide and friendly, yet somehow like the penetrating green eyes of Linn. "If we knew each other back then, do you think we could've been friends, too?" Zuko lay on the ground, still for a moment. Then, he recalled again the words Linn had spoken to him: 'If I choose him, I choose the world. So I choose him.' Zuko inhaled sharply. He didn't need to make the same choices as her. With a cry- whether of defiance or anger or both, he did not know- he Firebended at the Avatar. The Avatar flitted away nimbly through the trees. Zuko looked away and wondered if he had really made the right choice._

* * *

I reached the cave only a minute before Aang. My head no longer ached and I felt better than ever physically. I wasn't so positive about my mental state, though. My breakdown in the forest had not only been humiliating, but it had also been a great display of weakness. I brushed off the memories and focused on my newest charade. As Aang climbed over the wall, I scratched Momo's head. She chirruped as he walked over.

"Suck on these," he said tiredly to Sokka and Katara, who now lay on Appa in her own sleeping bag. He handed them each a frozen frog, and they confusedly sucked them. "They'll make you feel better." I flicked myself mentally. I knew I had forgotten something!

Aang then collapsed on Appa's tail, and I could feel his exhaustion over my own through our bond. "Aang, how was your trip?" Sokka mumbled through a mouth full of frozen frog. "Did you make any new friends?"

"No," Aang said sadly. "I don't think I did." He rolled over and curled up. I stood up and moved over beside him. He didn't look at me, but I laid a comforting hand on his to let him know that I was here for him.

"Mmm, this is tasty!" Sokka said. I had to smile. I waited for it. Soon the coughing and hacking came, this time not caused by illness but by a sudden aversion to frogs. Momo leaped happily after one.

"Where were you, Linn?" Aang said quietly, almost too quietly for my honed hearing to catch. "Why did you leave?"

"Believe it or not, I was with you the whole time," I said, squeezing his hand. He sighed, and I let him think. I thought too; about my decisions, my friends... and- you guessed it- Zuko. I hoped and prayed that one day I could tell him the whole truth about me... and that he would know that I'm not the one who wants to hurt him.


	15. A Thousand Years

**A/N: Later in this chapter, mentions of fortunetelling and palm-reading occur. I am not insulting anyone's beliefs; it is just a part of the story. I do not believe in any of these things myself, nor do I expect you to. Also, the song insertion in this chapter is slightly more awkward. I need song suggestions! Now, enjoy reading!**

* * *

The fish leapt out of the water with amazing skill, flipping and splashing playfully. I wasn't impressed; Sokka was fuming.

"Look!" Katara pointed it out, standing up. As if we couldn't see it.

"He is _taunting_ us!" Sokka said angrily. "You are _so_ gonna be dinner!" He ran and grabbed a fishing pole by the tent. I watched with amusement as he tried to cast the line, only to discover there was no line to cast. "Hey! Where's the fishing line?"

"Uh, I didn't think you would need it, Sokka," Aang said, holding up a delicately woven necklace. It was actually very neat handiwork- except I knew who it was for.

"Ah, it's all tangled!" Sokka complained. Aang Airbended to his feet.

"Not tangled; woven," he explained. He turned to Katara. "I made you a necklace, Katara. I thought since you lost your other one-" He held up the necklace and smiled widely. Katara smiled back. She walked over to Aang and accepted the necklace.

"Thanks, Aang," she said, holding it up. "I love it." I smiled at the tender moment, even if it was Katara.

"Great, Aang," Sokka said sarcastically. "Maybe instead of saving the world you can go into the jewelry-making business."

"I don't see why I can't do both," Aang shrugged. I considered speaking up, but decided against it. Ruining his moment of fun just to tell him that if he went into the jewelry-making business, the world would most likely end really wasn't worth it.

Splashing recaptured Sokka's attention. He hurled the fishing pole at the fish, missing. The fish continued to leap.

"Stop taunting me!" Sokka cried, and pulled out his boomerang as he waded into the water. It was even more amusing than before now that he was thrashing about in the water with the fish.

"So, how do I look?" came Katara's voice. Aang and I simultaneously turned around. I saw Katara; Aang saw more than I wanted to see. I created a barrier around my mind to avoid seeing it.

"You mean all of you or just your neck?" Aang said nervously, tugging at his collar. "I mean, uh, both look great." He rubbed his head, until Sokka rose from the water holding the fish.

"Smoochy, smoochy!" Sokka taunted, mocking him with the fish. "Someone's in love!" The fish smacked him with its tail. If I could have, I would have thanked it.

"I- well-" Aang stumbled.

"Stop teasing him, Sokka," Katara warned. "Aang's just a good friend." She put a hand on his head and rubbed him like he was a pet. "A sweet little guy. Just like Momo." She baby-talked Momo and made kissy faces, and I watched Aang's face fall like a stone. What was Katara doing? First she was on top of Aang, now pushing him away? I was going to get to the bottom of that one.

"Thanks," he said quietly as Sokka emerged, dripping wet. Momo suddenly flew away, and we heard growling sounds. I ran over to the boulder that Aang and Momo alighted upon to see a platypus-bear, clearly female, raging over a man who was- smiling?

"Someone's being attacked by a platypus-bear!" Aang pointed out. The platypus-bear swung at the man ferociously, but he simply stepped out of the way. It would have been a good tactic, if the platypus-bear hadn't been so angry.

"Why, hello there," he said when he spotted us. "Nice day, isn't it?"

"Make noise; he'll run off!" Aang shouted through cupped hands.

"No! Play dead; he'll lose interest!" Sokka countered as he and Katara ran up.

"Whoa, close one!" the man laughed as the platypus-bear took another swing.

"Run downhill, then climb a tree!" Katara called out.

"No, punch him in the bill!" Sokka said.

"And then run in zigzags!" Aang added. I could have offered a lesson on how to appease and distract a platypus-bear, but I had a feeling that would take too long.

"Find out what she wants, and then give it to her!" I said instead.

"No need. It's going to be fine," the man replied, backing away from the approaching platypus-bear. The platypus-bear roared and struck a tree just behind the man, scratching deep into the bark. Aang sprang into action, leaping over the platypus-bear's head and landing in front of the man, who now sat by the tree.

"Whoa, there," Aang said, taking up a protective stance. The platypus-bear let out a roar, but an even louder, more ferocious one from Appa stopped her. The platypus-bear laid an egg- in fright?- and scampered off into the water. Appa watched her go, keeping a close eye on her. I patted Appa in thanks.

"Mmm, lunch!" Sokka exclaimed, picking up the egg. He sniffed it. "Lucky for you we came along."

"Thanks," the man said, rising. "But everything was already under control. Not to worry. Aunt Wu predicted I would have a safe journey."

"Aunt who?" Aang said in confusion.

"No, Aunt _Wu_," the man clarified. "She's the fortuneteller from my village. Awful nice, knowing your future." I nearly snorted in derision. Fortunetellers were either frauds, brilliant actors, confused, or a combination.

"Wow," Katara breathed. "Must be." She then looked up. "That explains why you were so calm."

"But the fortuneteller was wrong," Sokka protested, "You didn't have a safe journey; you were almost killed!"

"But I wasn't," the man answered. He bowed. "All right, have a good one!" He began to walk away, then stopped. He turned around and pulled out a wrapped object. "Oh! Aunt Wu said if I met any travelers to give them this." He handed the package to Aang. We watched as he walked away, not stopping this time.

"Maybe we should see Aunt Wu and learn our fortunes," Katara suggested. "It could be fun!"

"Oh, come on, fortune telling is nonsense!" Sokka dismissed as Aang ripped the package open.

"I'm with Sokka on this one," I said, hoping my opinion would count for something. "No one can really tell the future." Not counting prophets, me, and the occasional monk. But prophecies are one thing- being able to see whether a person will eat a papaya or not is another.

"What do you know?" Aang said. "An umbrella!" He popped it open and held it over his head. A boom of thunder resounded, and rain began to pour. Katara Waterbended so the rain ran off above her head, leaving her dry. I created the slimmest field around me that kept me dry. I had no idea how long I could hold it, so I moved under the umbrella next to Aang, bending down a little since I was taller.

"That proves it!" Katara said, moving under the umbrella, too.

"No, it doesn't!" Sokka argued as he held the egg above his head. "You can't really tell the future!"

"I guess you're not _really_ getting wet, then," Katara replied. I wanted to laugh, but I really was siding with Sokka. _Again_. The future can't be seen willy-nilly! Besides, there were more ways to predict weather than you would think. But seeing as I valued being dry, I kept quiet. Then, Sokka fumbled the slippery egg, causing it to fly into the air and smash on his head, proving my point to myself.

"Of course she predicted it was gonna rain; the sky's been gray all day," Sokka grumbled as we walked along the path.

"And the safe journey thing could easily have been fabricated," I put in. "If he has a safe journey, he has a safe journey. If he doesn't- well, he won't be coming back for a refund."

"Sokka, just admit you might be wrong and you can come under the umbrella," Katara said. I couldn't tell why she didn't try to kick me out; probably because I would have smacked her sideways.

"Look, I'm going to predict the future now," Sokka replied. In a weird voice, he said, "It's going to keep drizzling." He then folded his arms. "See?" Immediately, the rain stopped and sunshine began to pour out from the heavens.

"Not everyone has the gift, Sokka," Aang said, smiling as he lowered the umbrella. Appa then shook out her fur, drenching Sokka and further explaining why I shouldn't side with him.

* * *

A pair of ducks quacked angrily at Sokka when we went by. As we walked up to the polished door, a white-haired man bowed to us.

"Aunt Wu is expecting you," he said in a deep voice. He was most likely told to say that. Most likely, anyway.

"Really?" Katara said hopefully, and we went in. Once inside, a young girl with horizontal braids and a pink robe walked up to us.

"My name is Meng," she said, smiling toothily. "And I'm Aunt Wu's assistant." I watched as her gaze fell on Aang. And I very, very much did not like the look in her eyes. She added, "Well, _hello_ there." I shot her my third worst _Die-in-smoldering-ashes_ look, but she was... _busy_.

"Hello," Aang replied, rubbing his nose without the slightest clue.

"May I get you some tea, or some of Aunt Wu's special bean curd puffs?" Meng asked sweetly.

"I'll try a curd puff!" Sokka said.

"Just a second," Meng dismissed. She crouched in front of Aang. "So what's your name?"

"Aang," Aang said, still clueless. Meng gasped.

"That rhymes with Meng!" Was I really the only one getting annoyed/creeped out? "And you've got some pretty big ears, don't you?" I didn't even want to know about that one.

"I... guess," Aang said, confused.

"Don't be modest; they're huge!" Sokka said helpfully.

"Well, Aang, it's very nice to meet you," Meng said, backing away. "_Very_ nice."

"Likewise," Aang said. I shot Meng another look, which I think she saw this time- judging by the brief look of terror I thought I saw. It gave me way too much pleasure, but at the same time, I wished I had upped it to my second worst.

"I can't believe we're here in the house of nonsense," Sokka groaned.

"Try to keep an open mind, Sokka," Katara said. "There are things in this world that just can't be explained." Yes, but 'fortune telling' wasn't one of them. "Wouldn't it be nice to have some insight into your future?"

"It would be nice to have some bean curd puffs," Sokka answered, sitting back. Katara frowned, which made me feel better.

"Oh, Meng!" a girl dressed in green exclaimed as she emerged from the back. "Aunt Wu says I'm going to meet my true love! He's going to give me a rare panda lily!"

"That's _so_ romantic," Meng sighed, looking at Aang. "I wonder if my true love will give _me_ a rare flower."

"Good luck with that," I practically snarled. Meng stiffened, then continued walking forward with a tray of food toward Aang. She managed to trip on the rug, nearly falling. Aang caught the tray in her hands and they slowly looked up at each other. I could see Katara 'not noticing' as Meng blushed.

"Enjoy your snack," Meng stumbled, backing away quickly. Good riddance. Sokka grabbed the tray from Aang as an old woman emerged.

"Welcome, young travelers," she said. "Now, who's next?" She looked at us. "Don't be shy."

"I'll be last," I volunteered. I had some things to say to her. Sokka looked to Aang, who looked to Katara.

"I guess that's me," she said cheerily, standing up. I watched her go. Sokka tossed a bean curd puff into his mouth.

"Not bad, not bad," he mumbled through the mouthful. "Mmm-mmm. Mmm!" He held the bowl out to Aang, who put his hands up.

"I'm good on puffs," he turned down. Sokka withdrew the bowl and shrugged.

"Can I have one?" I asked. Sokka looked at me for a moment, then plucked a bean curd puff out of the bowl and handed it to me. I popped it into my mouth and downed it quickly, not reacting to the burst of sweet flavor that coated my tongue and left a tangy but not unpleasant aftertaste. Sokka promptly began stuffing his face again. I added dryly, "Thanks."

"So..." Aang said nervously. "What do you think they're talking about back there?"

"Why don't you find out for yourself?" I suggested. He had the power; he was connected to Katara's mind just like I was connected to his and Zuko's. But Aang took it another way.

"Um, yeah..." He trailed off, then stood up abruptly. "Well, I gotta find a bathroom!" He quickly walked to the back, leaving Sokka to spread out over his pillow and pop more bean curd puffs into his mouth. Momo grabbed the bowl and made off with it. Sokka reached for the bowl, only to find it wasn't there. Without food to take his attention off me, he seemed to remember my existence.

"Linn," Sokka said. I snapped out of my head. I had been going to spy on Aang spying on Katara, but I couldn't do that with Sokka talking. As trained as I am, he's incredibly distracting.

"Yes, Sokka?" I replied as sweetly as I could.

"What are you?" I beckoned to Momo, who brought me a bean curd puff. I patted her on the head in thanks. I pretended not to notice Sokka's eyes boring holes in my head.

"Now, are you referring to my species?" I replied casually, putting another bean curd puff in my mouth. It renewed the flavor that had been drying on my tongue, and I had a sudden desire for another. "Because I'm a human, too."

"No," Sokka said flatly. "Where do you go all the time? Are you meeting someone?" His tone was accusatory. I pretended to choke on my puff.

"You think I'm going to betray you?" I sounded so injured, with a touch of distrust. _I_ would have believed me, but Sokka didn't buy it.

"Frankly, I don't know if I can trust you," he stated. "First you play this card where you come out of the blue to find your long-lost brother, and then you're all lost and alone and whatever, and now you act like nothing happened and you belong here. But do you?" I had to admit, I was the slightest bit impressed. Sokka was very clear about what he thought... and maybe he was right.

"Sokka..." I sighed with feeling and began rubbing my temple with my right hand. A twinge in my shoulder was a painful reminder. "I thought if I told you how I felt after my... _breakdown_, you would understand that I was really sorry. I swear, if I had been feeling right I wouldn't have touched you or the old man."

"Feeling right?" Sokka said suspiciously. I saw my chance.

"That day, something was up," I said, though not as quickly as instinct would have led me. "I didn't want you guys to stop for me or anything, so I kept quiet. But when that old man said all those nasty things about Aang, I just got _filled_ with rage; I know that I was totally out of line. I can honestly say that was not the normal me." The form of speaking I used was uncomfortable to me, but I thought it would make me sound more like a normal person. I watched Sokka's expression carefully. Could he guess how much of my speech was the truth?

"I still don't trust you," Sokka said finally. I nodded in consent.

"I hope you do one day," I replied honestly. As Aang walked- or rather, strutted- back in, Sokka casually cleaned his teeth with his finger as if nothing had happened.

"Looks like someone had a pretty good bathroom break," he commented.

"Yeah, when I was in there..." Aang stuttered.

"Good stars, I don't want to know," I said, holding up a hand to stop him. Katara and Aunt Wu then emerged.

"Who's next?" Aunt Wu asked. Sokka stood up and stretched.

"Okay, let's get this over with," he said.

"Your future is full of struggle and anguish," Aunt Wu said flatly. "Most of it self-inflicted." Okay, so, for a fortuneteller, she was pretty cool.

"But you didn't read my palms or anything!" Sokka protested.

"I don't need to. It's written all over your face." Sokka frowned, then picked at his teeth again. Aunt Wu pointed at Aang.

"You, then. Come with me." Aang followed and Katara sat down.

"So what did you guys talk about?" she said with a friendly smile.

"Sokka was too busy realizing how much bean curd puffs mean to him," I informed her before beckoning Momo over to give me another one. I tried to reach into Aang's mind, but was met by the sight of flames spreading high. I backed out and decided to stay right where I was. I slowly chewed on the bean curd puff. I could probably figure out the recipe if I tried hard enough...

By the time I got to the precise measurements of curd, Aang came out looking even happier than before. Aunt Wu had an almost guilty look on her face. I brushed bean curd puff crumbs off my lap and stood up.

"Yay, my turn!" I said brightly. Aunt Wu forced a smile and motioned for me to follow. Once we were in a room, I dropped the extra cheer.

"How do you do it?" I said in a curious but frank tone. "You can't tell me you receive prophecies for every insignificant person's life?" Aunt Wu laughed.

"You are an interesting character, indeed," she said. "I can't just give my secrets away, now, can I?" I folded my arms, then unfolded them because it looked too childish.

"Then show me," I stated. "Read my fortune and prove to me it's real." Aunt Wu raised an eyebrow at my brashness, but gestured to a seat. She sat opposite from me and studied me.

"Bones or palms?" she asked. I gazed blankly back. "Do you want an accurate prediction of an event or an outline of your present life?"

"Whichever," I said. "I kind of know the future already, anyway." Aunt Wu reached out and took my left hand. She traced creases in my palm with her index finger, carefully examining each detail.

"You live your life to the fullest and with purpose," Aunt Wu said as her finger slid along my skin. "You have intense emotions, but you do not reveal them. You are logical and have no dreams to follow, but if you did, you would undoubtedly pursue and achieve them. You have many secrets, and you naturally are inclined to keep them." My fingers curled, forcing Aunt Wu's weathered hand out of mine.

"How did you know that?" I said, almost in shock. Aunt Wu smiled secretively.

"I can't explain the mysteries of the universe," she said with a wink, which for some reason annoyed me. "But if you wish, I can give you small lessons later on reading palms and body language." I nodded mutely, still wondering how she had defied the logic of what Fang had taught me.

* * *

"Well, now you got to see for yourselves that fortune telling is just a big, stupid hoax," Sokka said grouchily as we walked down the street.

"You're just saying that because you're going to make yourself unhappy your whole life," Katara replied with a smirk.

"That woman is crazy!" Sokka exclaimed angrily, throwing his hands into the air. "My life will be _calm_, and _happy,_ and _joyful!_" He kicked a rock, which hit a signpost and bounced back, delivering a blow to his thick skull. He collapsed with his hands to his head and held up a finger in defiance. "That doesn't prove anything."

'Well, I liked my predictions," Katara said smoothly. "Certain things are gonna turn out _very_ well." I saw Aang's face change as she said that.

"Sure are," he said with a wide smile.

"Why?" Katara said, unaware. "What did she tell you?"

"Some stuff," Aang said hurriedly. "You'll find out. Katara smiled and shrugged.

"What about you, Linn?" she asked in a friendly tone. "Any delicious secrets revealed?" I raised my eyebrows nonchalantly.

"Sorry, nope," I said with my own easy shrug. "The future can't be told. Prophecies, yes. What you'll eat for breakfast- no." Katara rolled her eyes at me and casually walked away. Our little band followed for no particular reason. Soon we reached a group of villagers staring up at the sky anxiously. In fact, it seemed like the whole village was there.

"What's up with the sky?" Katara wondered.

"We're waiting for Aunt Wu to come and read the clouds," a man beside us said, eyes fixated upwards. "She will predict the fate of the whole village."

"Well, that cloud kind of looks like a fluffy bunny!" Aang pointed.

"You better hope that's not a fluffy bunny," the man said, folding his arms and looking down. "The fluffy bunny cloud forecasts doom and destruction."

"Do you even hear yourself?" Sokka said obnoxiously.

"The cloud-reading tells us if Mount Makapu will remain dormant for another year, or if it will erupt," a random woman informed us.

"We used to have a tradition of going up the mountain to check the volcano ourselves," the man continued. "But ever since Aunt Wu moved to the village twenty years ago, we have a tradition of _not_ doing that."

"I can't believe you would trust your lives to that crazy old woman's superstition!" Sokka said testily. Katara grabbed his shoulder to keep him from doing something stupid/dangerous/resulting in us being banned.

"Shh!" she hushed him "She's coming!" Aunt Wu and the mysterious white-haired guard came up from the stairs behind us, and everyone cheered. I watched quietly and expressionlessly as they passed, paying discreet attention to Aunt Wu's every move. As she entered a pavilion, she breathed in deeply and held out her arms.

"Bending arrow cloud," she said aloud. She checked a chart she held in her hand. She announced, "Good crops this year; nice big harvest." Scattered comments celebrated the announcement. "Wavy moon shape cloud… Gonna be a great year for twins." All mutterings stopped as she said, "And a cumulous cloud with a twisty nub coming off the end of it: The village will not be destroyed by the volcano this year!" The shouts reached their climax at the joyful news.

"Since I got you here, uh, there's something I want to tell you," I heard Aang say beside me. I looked over to see him nervously rubbing his head and looking at Katara. "I like you, but- more than normal-" Katara ran off into the crowd with a broad smile. I saw Aang's face fall. "Never mind." I put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"She'll come around, Aang," I said warmly. I gave him a quick hug, thinking that to be the best show of affection for cheering him up. I sent him calm feelings of courage and ease. "I promise." He nodded slowly, as if his mind was only half there. I gave him a last squeeze of the shoulder before turning towards Aunt Wu's house. It was time to cash in that lesson.

"Aunt Wu is expecting you," the white-haired man said again.

"Really?" I said sarcastically. "Good, she didn't forget telling me to come here." I walked through the door and sat down quietly on the mat. After a few minutes, Aunt Wu emerged pushing Katara along.

"And you'll be fine as long as you've got a scarf," she said, getting Katara out the door. "Bye-bye, now."

"Okay, okay, but one more thing," Katara said hurriedly before Aunt Wu could slam the door.

"Alright, what is it?" Aunt Wu groaned.

"Should I eat a mango or a papaya for breakfast tomorrow?"

"Papaya!" The door slammed. Aunt Wu sighed with relief.

"Hello," I said from my corner. Aunt Wu just nodded as she leaned against the door. "So, palm-reading?" Aunt Wu nodded again wearily.

"Come with me." I followed her into a different room that had no adornments but two small benches. Sunlight streamed in through a single window, making the room seem a lot happier. Aunt Wu gestured to one bench and sat down on the opposite one.

"I cannot tell you why, but nature made it so the future can be seen through the tiniest things," Aunt Wu began.

"But Fan- my previous mentor told me the only viable predictions of the future are prophecies," I argued. "The future is set in stone, but because it is stone, no one can see through it. Prophecies are divine-sent messages."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong." Aunt Wu smiled. "The future is solid, true, but not stone. More like ice. Ice, you can see through, but the image can be blurred or misinterpreted. It takes true dedication to learn the proper way of divining the future or knowledge. Do you have that dedication?" I nodded solemnly, intrigued by her explanation.

"Good. Let us begin." And for the next- well, I did lose track of time, but my inner clock and the sun told me it couldn't have been more than an hour- I learned about heart, head, and life lines, as well as how to interpret them and how many meanings each detail could have. It was an intense lesson, but I was used to learning. I picked up a subtle vibe that if I hadn't been such a fast learner, she would have stopped me after heart lines.

"Thank you for the lesson," I said gratefully when I thought I had learned as much as I could. Aunt Wu smiled.

"You are indeed dedicated," she complimented me. "Now that I have shown you the basics-" I groaned. "-I can do another reading on your palm using more advanced knowledge." I stretched, realizing how stiff I was. But I figured that I could pick something up from this second reading of hers, and knowledge is power. I held my palm out to her and she took it, holding my hand like a specimen. She peered at my palm, looking very closely at every crease in my hand. She took the thumb of her right hand and began to stroke my palm. I stood very still, wondering what she could see.

"Oh, my," she said softly after she had stroked my palm for several minutes. "Oh, my…"

"What is it?" I said a little too sharply. Aunt Wu's eyes slowly drifted up from my palm to meet my gaze.

"Why did you not say?" she said, almost fearfully. "Why did you not reveal you were the Avatar?" I laughed. Hard.

"No, not me!" I gasped through tears of mirth. I couldn't even say why I found it so amusing. "That would be Aang. I'm his sister." Aunt Wu looked puzzled… and curious.

"But your palm reads that you can bend all four elements. And the palm is one part of the body that cannot lie." I shook my head, not sure what else to do. It seemed there were a lot of situations in my new life that Fang hadn't prepared me for. After a while, I got my breathing under control. Now that the proper amount of oxygen was reaching my brain, I needed to figure out what to do. The silence quickly became awkward.

"Yes," I said finally. "I can bend all four elements. But that won't save the world if I don't teach my brother first." I instinctively trusted Aunt Wu. Okay, so Fang had drilled into my head years ago that you should never rely entirely on instinct, but this woman was just… trustworthy. I watched Aunt Wu's expression; she seemed to register and accept that I was not the average visitor.

"I should warn you," Aunt Wu said cautiously. "Your love line predicts some very ominous events." I went rigid at the word 'love'. "You will do many great things, but love will ultimately be your downfall. And in the end, although you will have a great effect on the world, you will not be remembered." I can't say exactly what happened then. My eyes unfocused as two voices said the same words in my head: _'Although you will have a great effect on the world, you will not be remembered.' _I quickly shook my head, squeezing my eyes shut to focus. I had been trained not to let words affect me like they just had. Ah, well, another broken rule.

"Thank you, Aunt Wu," I said finally, feeling the beginnings of a headache stirring. "Your lessons were very helpful, although I will never be a master like you."

"I can sense that you are not feeling well," Aunt Wu said kindly. Well, she didn't need to see the future for that one. "However, know this: love may be your downfall, but your love will be one of the strongest this world will see. Your decisions will always be made in the best interest of those you love, even when they are not the right ones." Well, that was comforting. I sighed.

"_**Hearts… beat… fast,"**_ I breathed, imagining the scene: Zuko and I, standing side by side… holding hands. But what would that take? _**"Bro-ken prom…i…ses. How to be brave; how can I love if I'm afraid… to… fall?"**_ I looked away shyly._** "No one knows when I'm… a…lone, every doubt, every hidden fear gets out. Why- doesn't he- know- that I die every day, feel-ing for him?"**_

"_**Maybe he's just afraid,"**_ Aunt Wu offered.

"_**I- have loved him for a thous-and years," **_I snapped harshly, knowing that wasn't Zuko. Zuko wasn't afraid… not like that, anyway. Then I softened, thinking of how my feelings had been preordained that many years ago. _**"And I will love him for a thous-and more…"**_ I envisioned Zuko with me again, wondering how this war could end with us on the same side. _**"I'd… stand… still… and standing there, there… he'd… be… Could I be brave? Or would someone take him away? Is… my… love strong enough to- break through this nightmare; finally dare to ask for him? Why- doesn't he- know- I have died everyday feel-ing for him?" **_I paused. _**"Maybe I'm the one afraid…"**_

"_**But you have loved him for a thous-and years,"**_ Aunt Wu put in firmly, nodding as she said it. _**"And you can love him for a thous-and- more-. All along, you've believed you- could find him. One day, he'll finally see how- you've loved him for a thous-and years, and you can love him for a thous-and- more-…"**_ I looked deep into Aunt Wu's penetrating gaze and tried to discern the future. She was a for-real fortuneteller, and she was telling me to follow my soulmate. My _forbidden_ soulmate. And the word of this woman opposed everything Fang had told me. But really, had I done anything Fang had told me since I left my forest?

"_**Should- I- want- him?"**_ I asked hesitantly, wondering if I'd like the answer.

"_**Yes!"**_ Aunt Wu said with enthusiasm. _**"Pursue- him-"**_

"_**Though I die every day feel-ing for him,"**_ I realized quietly, _**"I will not be afraid. I- have loved him for a thous-and years, and I will love him for a thous-and- more-." **_As I spoke, I knew every word was true. _**"All along, I have known I could find him. Maybe he'll one day see I have loved him for a thous-and years."**_

"_**I know you'll love him for a thous-and more,"**_ Aunt Wu finished. Awkward smiles were exchanged. I felt exposed; I had just told a woman- whom I had only met earlier today- how I felt about Zuko. Or rather, how the universe had determined that I would feel. If I hadn't met his eyes back at Kyoshi, I most likely wouldn't give a care for him other than that he was chasing Aang. And, coming full circle to everything I thought about, that was the problem. I wanted to do something violent and destructive to vent my frustration. Sadly, the only pieces of furniture available were the two benches that we sat upon. Instead, I sighed.

"I'm glad someone's sure," I said with a grin that was forced but not visibly so. Or so I thought. Suddenly, Sokka burst through the doors.

"Aunt Wu!" he shouted. Then he saw me. "Oh, hi." I rolled my eyes.

"What's happening, Sokka?" I asked. He pointed out the window. Aunt Wu and I both looked out to see the clouds shifting and swirling. In the back of my mind, I had an above view of it, bending the water and air to change… Oh, stars. "Let's go!"

Aunt Wu, Sokka, and I all ran out of Aunt Wu's house. Sokka practically tugged us along, dragging us to the pavilion where earlier, Aunt Wu had predicted the volcano _not_ destroying the village. Well, so much for that one.

"Aunt Wu, look!" Sokka said, pointing above. "Something's happening in the clouds!" Like we couldn't see it. Well, I guess I gave him points for trying to save the village.

"Well, that's very strange. It shouldn't…" Aunt Wu gasped and exclaimed "Oh, my!" as the clouds finally took the form Aang and Katara had bended it to: a skull, darkly grinning from above.

* * *

"We can still save the village if we act fast!" Aang proclaimed from the pavilion. Smoke was now pouring from the mouth of the volcano, and I knew that we didn't have much time. 'Fast' might not cut it. "Sokka has a plan." Oh, joy.

"Lava is going to flow downhill to this spot," Sokka informed us. "If we can dig a deep enough trench, we can channel all the lava away from the village to the river." For a Sokka plan, it made sense.

"If any of you are Earthbenders, come with me," Aang said. Ooh, that was a tough one. To Aang, I was a bending-less Air Nomad; to Sokka, I was the mystery girl who appeared to have strange powers. Kindly put.

"Everybody else, grab a shovel!" Sokka ordered, brandishing one, as the earth rumbled beneath everyone's feet. "Come on, we've gotta hurry!" In that second, I stepped forward.

"I'll operate Appa," I volunteered. Sokka gave me an odd look, then nodded. I nimbly ran over to Appa and jumped on her in one leap. She rumbled as if telling me 'Let's go!' With a quick lash of the reins and a "yip-yip", we were soaring.

My eyes watched the ground below. Already, the villagers were pulling it together and making the ditch. I turned Appa towards a particularly large pile of rocks and stopped. Grabbing rope from the back of the saddle, I threw it over the lip and called out, "Tie her up!" The villagers below looked at each other, then nodded. A nice big rock was soon secured by the rope. I tugged at the reins and Appa flew upward, unblocking the trench below by taking the rock with her.

Steering Appa away from the volcano, I looked for a good drop spot. In the woods, there was rustling and small cries as animals fled for safety. I sighed as Appa drifted downward. Once she had lowered the rock to the ground, I leapt off and untied it. Immediately, I hopped back on, and we were off.

I only got the chance for two more jumbo rocks before I heard Aang shout, "Everyone needs to evacuate! We'll come for you when it's safe!" In a heartbeat, Appa landed, and I went to stand beside the others as we prepared for fate to make its choice.

Ash swirled through the air. The volcano finally let loose, and a torrent of lava ominously poured down the slope. It seeped around a gateway and tombstones, crumbling and destroying them in moments. All too soon, it was filling the ditch, boiling with tremendous heat.

"It's too much!" Katara exclaimed. "It's gonna overflow!" Another violent explosion wracked the earth. Now rhyolite the size of small missiles were pelting the lava, sending up bursts of the viscous liquid. Sokka and Katara turned and ran, presumably to shelter.

"Aang," I urged. But I felt a stirring of feeling within me. Feelings of many kinds- and they was coming too fast. As Aang ran and soared into the air, twisting great funnels of air, I felt my eyes threatening to glow. I clutched my head in agony and fell to my knees. Little dots of black and blue flashed across my vision. Sokka rushed to my side.

"Is it happening again?" he whispered in my ear. My eyes were squeezed shut against the pain, but I nodded. My other senses told me there was motion, and two pairs of arms lifted me to my feet so I could hobble away from the edge.

"Let me go," I protested weakly, but they didn't. I opened my eyes to slits to see Sokka and Katara on either side of me, staring at where lava had once loomed. It was now hardened to rock, and I saw Aang standing alone.

"Man," Sokka breathed. "Sometimes I forget what a powerful bender that kid is.' I felt Katara stiffen.

"Wait… what did you just say?" she asked.

"Nothing, just that Aang is one powerful bender," Sokka replied. I tried to widen my eyes, but another wave of pain crashed over me, taking my sight.

* * *

I realized I was in Aunt Wu's near-empty room the moment I awoke. A mat had been added to the décor, and I was laying on it. I quickly sat up, only to remember too late that the blood would rush to my head. I groaned as a kind voice spoke.

"Are you all alright?" Aunt Wu's gentle tone struck a nerve for some reason, but I bit back all of my spicy replies.

"It wasn't the first time," I said quietly. "I… _fainted_. That's not normal for me, and it wasn't the first time." As my eyes found Aunt Wu sitting on a bench, staring at me with worry, I saw her nod in… understanding?

"You have a tough journey ahead of you," she said, sounding concerned and motherly. I was out of my comfort zone by several thousand miles at this point, which irked me even more since I shouldn't even have a comfort zone. "I cannot reveal as much as you would wish, but I will say that you will find answers at the North Pole, even if they are not the answers you expect… or want." I blinked slowly, feeling a headache stir. Oh, joy.

"Thank you," I finally said. "For everything." Aunt Wu led me out of the house, keeping a loose hand on my shoulder. Once I was outside, the hand on my shoulder became Aang's.

"Sokka told me what happened," he whispered. "Are you okay?" I nodded mutely and smiled in a convincing away. But was I really?

"Goodbye, everyone!" Katara waved from her seat on Appa's head. "It was so nice to meet you!" Aang leapt onto Appa and I shuffled behind, feeling old and fragile as I climbed up. Katara added with a smile, "Take care, Meng."

"Take care!" Meng waved. Aang and Sokka sat in the back with me.

"So what happened?" Aang quizzed. I grimaced in a pained sort of way.

"Major migraine," I answered, rubbing my head. "Talk about timing, right?" I caught Sokka's eye. He studied me. Then, with the slightest shake of his head, he nodded. Aang was smiling and satisfied. Well, at least someone was.

As I leaned against the edge of the saddle and closed my eyes, letting the slight breeze gently sweep my braid, I had to wonder about Aunt Wu's predictions. She had taken me somewhere I had never been before: teachings that Fang had not taught me. That just… didn't make sense. But somehow, I knew she was right. Two lines kept coming back to me; _"Although you will have a great effect on the world, you will not be remembered…"_ and _"You will do many great things, but love will ultimately be your downfall."_ Love. If I had a choice, I would have taken back my soulmate-ness with Zuko. It was wrong and complicated and just plain annoying. Yet I liked it. I hadn't really felt love before, not really. I mean, sure, I loved Aang. He was the only family I had, and I was his. But it had been a distant love for so long… and somehow, I knew that my unwanted, treacherous, compelling love for Zuko had lasted beyond a thousand years, and it would stand for a thousand more.


	16. Between Us

**This chapter, I tried using some phonetically translated Chinese. In case you couldn't guess, "Liè jiǔ, bǎoyòu wǒ" means "Spirits, bless and protect me," and "wénshēn" is tattoos. There will be more of this in the future.**

* * *

"Why are we heading to the beach?" I asked again.

"I just have a feeling," Sokka replied vaguely. I shook my head and continued down the steep hill. As we walked/slid down the slope, something caught my eye- something big and sticking out of the ground.

"Hey, look!" Aang said as I pulled it out. "A sword made out of a whale's tooth."

"Let me see that!" Sokka said, snatching it out of my hands. I saw his eyes zone out as if he were remembering something. Well, I knew _that_ feeling. In unison, we said, "This is a Water Tribe weapon." Sokka blinked, then continued, "See if you can find anything else." Sokka and Aang headed to the bushes as I bent down to check the road. Countless lessons passed through my head as I stooped to brush leaves away. There lay an arrow, the head blackened.

"Did someone lose something?" Katara asked, finally catching up.

"No, we found something!" Aang informed her. Sokka rushed over as he realized that I had discovered something. He picked up the arrow and rubbed the tip.

"It's burned," he announced. His gaze swept the clearing. He walked over to a tree. "There was a battle." His hand felt the slash marks on a tree.

"Water Tribe warriors ambushed a group of Firebenders," I added, putting the pieces together. Sokka nodded, growing excited.

"The Firebenders fought back, but the warriors drove them down this hill," Sokka continued, leading us down the slope. He began to run, leaping over rocks and rushing across the sand. Suddenly, he stopped. Katara, Aang, and I caught up.

"So then what happened?" Aang asked.

"I don't know," Sokka said. "The trail ends here."

"But-" I began, then stopped. If he couldn't see the big honking boat leaning against the rocks over there, then-

"Wait, look!" Katara exclaimed, pointing at the boat.

"It's one of our boats!" Sokka realized. Oh, good. I wasn't hallucinating. We all ran over to the not-imagined vessel.

"Is this Dad's boat?" Katara wondered.

"No," Sokka said, smiling and resting a hand on the boat. "But it's from his fleet. Dad was here." He and Katara looked warmly at one another. Aang and I stood apart, taking care to keep away from the tender family moment.

* * *

"What's bothering you?" I said quietly. Katara and Aang each lay asleep, but Sokka's eyes never left the fire as he poked it mindlessly with a stick. I repeated, slightly louder, "What's bothering you?"

"I don't understand," he said so softly, my trained ears barely heard it. Then his head slowly lifted so his gaze would meet mine. His eyes suddenly snapped back to the present. "What?"

"I can tell the boat brings back memories," I said, glancing at the mentioned craft. "The question is, are they good or bad?" Sokka's eyes drifted back to the fire.

"A little of both," he whispered almost soundlessly. A twig cracking and rustling in the bushes brought us both to attention. He stood up, boomerang at the ready. "Who's there?" A figure emerged from the darkness that was out of the reach of our fire.

"Sokka?" the man said in confusion. Sokka was even more confused.

"Bato?"

"Who the what now?" Aang muttered, waking.

"Bato!" Katara cried joyfully.

"Sokka, Katara," Bato said warmly. "It is so good to see you two." He laughed affectionately. "You've grown so much."

"Hi, I'm Aang," Aang said, bowing.

"Linn," I added, bowing as well. I figured I might as well show respect, since I didn't want to be stereotypical towards the Southern Water Tribe.

"Are you Water Tribe?" Bato asked with surprise, taking note of my clothes. I cursed inwardly.

"No," I said with a smile. "These are borrowed."

"Where's Dad?" Sokka asked.

"Is he here?" Katara put in. It was sad; they were like panda-puppies begging around a food bowl.

"No; he and the other warriors should be in the Eastern Earth Kingdom by now," Bato said with regret. The wind briefly picked up, and the three visibly shivered. "This is no place for a reunion." Bato wrapped his arms around Katara and Sokka's shoulders, leading them away. "Let's get inside." He cast a glance back at us, beckoning with one hand. I took Aang's hand and pulled, since he seemed a little frozen. Even Appa shuffled after, and I had to wonder where we were heading.

* * *

"After I was wounded, your father carried me to this abbey," Bato explained to Sokka and Katara as we walked through the courtyard. "The sisters have cared for me ever since." We approached a group of three nuns. I shied back slightly, thinking of what my last encounter with holy women had resulted in.

"Superior," Bato called out. The three sisters turned to face him simultaneously. Which was a little scary. "These are Hakoda's children. They've been traveling with the Avatar. I found them by my boat."

"Young Avatar," the Superior said to Aang, "It gives me great joy to be in your presence. Welcome to our abbey."

"Thank you," Aang replied. "It's truly an honor to be here." The nun turned to me.

"And what is your name, daughter?"

"Linn," I squeaked, realizing my throat had suddenly become dry. The Superior nodded to me.

"Are you Water Tribe as well?" she asked in a friendly tone. I looked back down at myself, hoping my clothes had magically become green. They hadn't.

"No," I replied in a fairly equally friendly tone.

"If there's anything-" Aang began.

"What smells so good, Bato?" Sokka interrupted, sniffing.

"The sisters craft ointments and perfumes," Bato clarified.

"Perfume?" Sokka repeated. He got a goofy look on his face. "Maybe we should dump some on Appa… because he stinks so much. Am I right?" I oh-so-stealthily smacked him on the back of the head. He rubbed it ruefully.

"Hey!" he protested.

"Even if Appa needed it, we'd have used it all up on you," I retorted. Then I muttered, "_She._" Bato gave me the _He-totally- deserved-that-but-because-I'm-a-parental-figure-I- can't-say-anything_ look.

"You have your father's wit," Bato said dryly to Sokka. I flicked Sokka on the back of the neck for good measure. He swatted at me but missed.

Bato then led us to a door. As he slid it aside, Katara and Sokka's faces lit up.

"Bato, it looks like home!" Katara exclaimed.

"Everything's here, even the pelts!" Sokka marveled as the two explored the place, feeling fur and touching the various décor as if it were new to them.

"Yeah, nothing's cozier than dead animal skins," Aang mumbled. Momo leapt off his shoulder to sniff at the head of a- what _was_ it? It didn't have the markings of a platypus bear, skunk bear, or polar bear dog, and certainly not the shell of an armadillo bear. I pondered as the head snapped at Momo, causing her to shriek and scramble up Aang.

"No way," Katara said in disbelief, removing the lid of a pot in the center of the room. "Stewed sea prunes?"

"Help yourself," Bato replied with a smile.

"Dad could eat a whole barrel of these things," Sokka recalled as the stew was served. I went forward and grabbed two bowls, then came back to stand with Aang. I handed him his bowl. He sniffed the steam coming off the stew, then made a face.

"Bato, is it true you and Dad lassoed an arctic hippo?" Katara asked in earnest as Aang and I sat down. Aang set his bowl to the side. Momo was on Aang's in an instant.

"It was your father's idea," Bato laughed. "He just dragged me along. Well, the hippo did the dragging." I sipped mine, using extreme control to not spew it out when the pungent flavor rolled over my tongue. I swallowed calmly and set my bowl down as I watched Momo hack and gag on the stew.

"Hey, I ride animals, too!" Aang exclaimed, finally finding a link to this stranger. "One time, there was this _giant_ eel, and I-"

"So, who was it who came up with the great blubber fiasco?" Sokka interrupted. Aang's face fell as Bato grinned, his shoulders gently shaking with laughter.

"You knew about that?" he asked.

"Everyone does!" Katara smiled.

"What's that story?" Aang tried. Sokka shook him off.

"It's a long one, Aang," Sokka said dismissively. "Some other time."

"You and Dad had so many hilarious adventures," Katara said almost wistfully. I watched Aang stealthily creep over to a wall and adorn an ornamental badger mole headdress too large for his head.

"None of which were hilarious at the time, but everything's funny with hindsight," Bato replied wryly, laughing. He looked over my shoulder. "Hey, Aang! Please put that down; it's ceremonial and very fragile." Aang looked up guiltily, then put the headdress back on its hook. He shuffled over to a corner and slumped against the wall, tucking his head into his knees. Momo got up to accompany him, and I went over as well.

"Was it you or Dad that put an octopus on your head and convinced Gran-Gran you were a water spirit?" Sokka asked eagerly.

"Your dad wore the octopus, but," Bato said, waving his arms mock-spookily, "I did the spooky voice." I edged in closer to Aang as the story-telling went on. Aang slid further down the wall.

"It's like she forgot me," Aang murmured quietly, almost to himself. I tried reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder, but he turned away.

"She could never forget you," I said gently. Aang didn't turn. "You two have always known each other deep inside, even back before you were frozen in the iceberg."

"That's not possible," Aang replied half-heartedly, still not looking at me.

"But it is!" I tried to encourage him. "The monks don't believe in two hearts that are one, but I know that it's true. I know how you feel." Aang was silent. After a long pause, he finally spoke.

"I don't think you do." His shoulders hunched, signaling he was no longer speaking to me. I nearly groaned in frustration. The worst part was, even though not being able to reach out to Aang annoyed me, a part of me wanted to spill out everything about Zuko and my bending and my life in the forest. I wasn't supposed to feel like that! But I just sighed and settled back onto the wall, allowing Momo to climb into my lap and curl up.

* * *

"There's something I need to tell you kids," Bato said. I quietly emerged from my world of half-sleep. I noticed that Momo was now lying beside Aang. "I'm expecting a message from your father." The conversation didn't include me, but I didn't roll over to go back to dreamland.

"Really?" Katara asked with excitement.

"When?" Sokka said just as eagerly.

"Any day now," Bato replied. I both saw and felt Aang stir. "Your father said they'd send a message when they found the rendezvous point." Aang pulled himself up, suddenly alert. "If you come with me, you can see your father again." I felt a torrent of emotions from Aang and had to build a barrier around my mind to keep from drowning. However, like precariously sitting at the edge of a flooding river, I dipped a mental hand into the waters and tasted. The sour taste of jealousy was in my mouth, along with bitter longing and acerbic loneliness.

"It's been almost two years since we've seen Dad!" Sokka exclaimed. "That would be so incredible!" Sokka's hands were flying. "Katara!"

"I do really miss him," she said almost with regret. "It would be great to see Dad." I could feel the waters around my dam steadily rising. I knew I couldn't build it any higher, but there was nowhere to vent the emotions. Except… no, Zuko didn't need anymore torment.

"It's been far too long, hasn't it?" Bato asked sadly. Aang abruptly got up, pushing the door open. "I'm not sure when word will arrive…" I was up in an instant, after Aang.

"Aang!" I called out. Momo soared ahead of me, landing on Aang's shoulder. He gently brushed her off, shuffling slowly but surely towards the beach. I decided not to run. Instead, I followed at his pace, giving him the time he needed to let the waters ebb.

_"Liè jiǔ, bǎoyòu wǒ,"_ I prayed quickly as I approached the boat Aang was perched upon, hoping the spirits were listening. It was a simple Fire Nation tradition to ask for blessing and protection from spirits before they performed an act they believed would change their lives. So that didn't exactly apply here, but a little spirit help is always appreciated.

"I can't believe they would leave me," Aang murmured quietly. I had leapt up onto the neck of the curved bowsprit, easily holding footing on the smooth surface.

The sound of pounding feet alerted me seconds before Aang. An ostrich-horse was pelting across the sand, its rider looking grim and determined beneath a simple straw hat. Within moments, he was stopped by the boat.

"I'm looking for Bato of the Water Tribe," the mysterious rider said.

"Uh, I know Bato," Aang said. The rider nodded.

"Make sure he gets this." The messenger quickly handed Aang a tightly tied scroll and sped away. Aang unrolled it.

"It's the map to Sokka and Katara's dad," Aang said in wonder, staring at the landmarks on the page. I suddenly realized that the floods in my mind had slowly drained away. I prepared to tear down my mental barrier when the rapids surged again.

"Aang?" I asked as he glanced at me, then Momo. He crumpled the map with sudden force, shoving the ball into a pocket inside his tunic. He tucked his head into his knees. "_Aang?_"

"They were going to leave me." I caught the smallest whisper muffled by Aang's face being in his tunic. I shook my head at that, knowing Katara couldn't do it if she tried.

"Aang, I trust you to do the right thing," I responded softly but with force. Aang was a good kid, and I couldn't see him lying to anyone's face, let alone his soulmate's. "If you give Bato that map, I _know_ that Katara and Sokka will stay. So promise me you'll give them the map?" Even my trained ears had to strain to hear the muted sound from Aang. The tides inside my head hadn't died down yet, so I decided to rely on Aang's good nature and leave him be. Quietly, I slid down the bowsprit and left him, trusting Momo to take care of him.

* * *

"Hey, everyone," Aang said cheerfully, sliding the door aside to let himself in as the three Water Tribe members and I sat in comfortable silence around the fire. "Sorry I was gone so long." The waters inside my head no longer threatened to submerge my thoughts, but I didn't want to pry into Aang's naïve, innocent mind like I usually did. Besides, I knew he had to make a choice very soon, and that would tell me what he really thought.

"Hey, Aang," Katara replied, looking up from her 'delicious' bowl of stewed sea prunes. "I didn't notice you left." Brilliant. However, Aang didn't show his hurt.

"Yup, but now I'm back!" he answered, still all fake cheer. He sat down and grabbed his bowl from earlier. "Sure could go for some delicious sea prunes!" He shoveled them into his mouth, impressively gagging only once while "mmm"-ing heartily. And there was the answer to my question. My strange look at him blended in with everyone else's, but my gaze was the only one that he met. Aang's grey eyes begged me to say nothing. I understood without mind-searching why he wanted me to remain silent, but the motive was still questionable. Yet for reasons of my own, I allowed my eyes to flash with acceptance and continued to swallow the horrid stew Katara offered me.

* * *

I calmly walked past a group of sisters chattering amongst themselves. They stopped talking as I went by, staring at me. I pretended that I didn't notice, but it irked me that women with such holy background would do something considered rude in most cultures. I made it to the end of the alley and went around the corner only to stop, my ears catching the whispers that immediately started.

"She's not Water Tribe but wears their clothing!"

"So inconsiderate!"

"I've heard all sorts of rumors about that one."

"Did you hear the one about an affair with a traveling cabbage merchant?"

"Good heavens!"

"I think she's the Avatar's secret lover. Did you see the looks between those two?"

"No, I bet she's doing horrible things to the thickheaded Water Tribe boy!" Okay, that was the last straw. I stomped hard, sending Earthbended tremors through the ground. I grinned at the satisfying screams that came from four nuns being tossed into the air. Now, I wonder how that might've happened…

"Oh, my! Excuse me," a voice in front of me said. My head snapped up to see the Superior, smiling friendlily. I bowed out of politeness.

"I apologize, Superior." The Superior laughed good-naturedly.

"Pay it no mind, dear," she replied. Her eyes swept me up and down, and I blushed as I thought about the other nuns' comments. How did rumors formulate that fast?

"Is something the matter?" I asked tentatively.

"Oh, no," the Superior said, stopping her inspection. "I just thought that it was odd. You wear Water Tribe clothing, but you are not of that origin, correct?" I nodded.

"These are borrowed," I managed to say without gritting my teeth. The Superior dipped her head in acknowledgement, then looked me over again.

"You know, we have some spare tunics that other travelers have left behind. If you need a new set of robes, we-"

"Oh, yes!" I interrupted with delight, then calmed myself. "I mean, that would be very kind of you. Thank you." I bowed again and calmly walked around the Superior. My moment of triumph didn't last, however. Sokka came pelting around the corner, nearly ramming into me.

"Linn!" he exclaimed. He grabbed my hand and tugged me along. "Come, on; Bato's taking us down to the ship!" I sighed even as I was hauled down alleys towards the beach.

"This ship is sentimental to me," Bato told us as we approached the boat. "It was built by my father." Bato rubbed the boat as if it were an old friend; sweet, yet creepy. A pulse of alarm jolted my brain. Both Aang and I saw the tracks left from the messenger. In a second, he Airbended the entire track away, as if the ostrich-horse had never touched the sand. I shot him a look, which he returned before whistling nonchalantly.

"Is this the boat he took you ice dodging in?" Sokka asked eagerly.

"Yup; it's got the scar to prove it," Bato answered with a proud smile. "Heh. How about you, Sokka? You must have some good stories about your first time ice dodging." Sokka shrugged blankly.

"He never got to go," Katara said for him. "Dad left before he was old enough."

"Oh, I forgot you were too young," Bato apologized.

"What's ice dodging?" Aang asked.

"It's a rite of passage for young Water Tribe members," I recited before Bato could reply. "When a Water Tribe boy reaches the age of fourteen, his father takes him ice dodging."

"You know what?" Bato cut in before I could start lecturing them on the philosophy of ice dodging- which I was grateful for, because I honestly didn't know how long I would have gone on- putting a hand on Sokka's shoulder. "You're about to find out." Sokka's face lit up, as well as Aang and Katara's. Bato gave me a regretful look. "Only two friends are allowed for the ceremony. Are you alright with-" I nodded curtly. This was Sokka's place, and I wouldn't dream of denying Aang or Katara the chance to help him. They were closer to him, and besides, I had already gone mentally ice dodging.

I waved them off and set myself up against a rock. I stared up into the sky, watching clouds drift by. I could always go get new clothes from the Superior. My mind wandered aimlessly, barely noticing Momo land beside me and chirrup. I rubbed her head, and she purred with pleasure.

"_**Hey, stra-nger,"**_ I greeted her, welcoming her presence. _**"Seas are too rough for you, huh?"**_ I looked out at the boat starting for jagged rocks. I thought of Aang's choice. _**"Do I really know him? Have I missed this side of him before? Whatever my choices, whatever I do; there's too little between us that I'm able to lose."**_ Momo blinked at me, her eyes wide. I kissed her head gently. _**"My call-ing was to help when our paths did collide… to save- the world from the darkening skies… I understand love now… I haven't found bliss… 'cause little between us… I can afford to miss… And my mind is adrift in the ocean, and the tide cannot take me back in. In the desperate times, will I need help again and again?"**_ I scratched Momo under the chin, getting her to roll over and rumble with the force of her purr.

"You're lucky, Momo," I said softly. "You don't have to worry about such human things." Momo looked at me.

"_**There's a com-fort, when you know there are things to believe,"**_ I whispered, only half talking to Momo now. _**"And we're all in dan-ger, since I can't seem to tell them 'bout me. Wherever we go now, I know I can't balk. The distance between us, I know I must cross."**_ I nodded as I spoke, trying to tell myself I had the bravery to do what I said I must._** "And my mind if adrift in the ocean, and the tide cannot take me back in. In the desperate times, will I need help again and again? While my mind is adrift in this ocean, can I find tides to take me back in? In the desperate times, I pray I'll bring help in the end…"**_ Momo's eyes were wide as she looked at me. I hugged her, feeling like a child as I drew comfort from the touch. After a few moments- or minutes, as I lost sense of time, sitting on the beach with only Momo- I gently set her aside. _**"A stra-nger is living in me like I'm home. I know I don't know- her, 'cause I've never seen her before."**_ Momo was staring at me with an intense lemur gaze. Then she jumped up and flew away, soaring over the waters.

My eyes followed her, spotting the boat on a swelling wave. _A wave!_ I was up in an instant, but there was no reason to; as I saw the jagged rocks ahead of the vessel and thought of my precious little Waterbenders, I knew they had it in them to get through it. Alright, I'll admit that it wasn't my first thought. My first instinct had been to raise my arms and do some serious bending. But Aang had already learned some things even without my teaching, and Katara was learning from him. Besides, I still had to straighten out the whole helpless non-bender/mysterious, possibly crazy, all-powerful bender thing.

I calmly sat back down on the sand as the boat soared over the stones on a surging tide and gently eased back onto still waters. In no time, the ship was back on the beach and Bato was preparing to give the three their warrior marks.

"The spirits of water bear witness to these marks," Bato said solemnly, holding a jar of cuttlefish paint and dipping two fingers in it. "For Sokka, the mark of the wise; the same mark your father earned." Sokka looked content as Bato drew a curved line with a mark beneath it on his forehead. "For Katara, the mark of the brave. Your courage inspires us." Katara smiled as a waxing crescent moon was drawn. Finally, he came to Aang.

"And for Aang, the mark of the trusted." Aang squirmed as Bato drew a single curved line on his forehead, then his eyes grew wide. I had been watching with pride, but realized now that Aang was going to have to make the crucial decision: to tell the truth. "You are now an honorary member of the Water Tribe."

"I can't," Aang protested.

"Of course you can!" Katara responded without a clue. Aang backed away.

"No, I can't. You can't trust me." He wiped away the mark of the trusted.

"Aang, what are you talking about?" Katara asked worriedly. I both saw and felt the change in Aang as he finally gave in. He pulled the crumpled map from his tunic, offering it to Katara without looking her in the eye.

"A messenger gave this to me for Bato," Aang said. Katara grabbed it and unfolded it, gasping as Sokka and Bato came to see its contents. Aang was pleading, "You have to understand, I was afraid you would-"

"This is the map to our father!" Sokka exclaimed furiously as Katara covered her mouth in shock. "You had it the whole time? How could you!?" Aang winced with shame. I went to him and tried to pull him to me, hoping a hug was the right way to comfort him.

"Sokka, he-" But Sokka didn't want to hear me, either.

"And you!" he spat. "Did you know about this?" I narrowed my eyes at him, limiting my anger for the sake of the women and children.

"Sokka, how can you even treat your own friend this way?" I said angrily, inwardly praying to the unseen forces that I didn't stir up my Avatar Spirit.

"Some friend if he keeps secrets!" Sokka retorted, not meaning only Aang. "Well, you can go to the North Pole on your own! I'm going to find Dad!" He stormed off with the map in his hand.

"Now, Sokka, I think you should-" Bato tried.

"Katara, are you with me?" Sokka interrupted, looking at her with dead seriousness in his eyes. Katara turned to look at Aang. I could feel his regrets and pleading rolling off of him, but Katara closed her eyes and turned away.

"I'm with you, Sokka," she said coldly. Aang's eyes were threatened by tears as the three Water Tribe members left him.

"Why?" he whimpered, falling to the sand. I knelt there with him, unable to answer the universal question. Aang's tears spilled over, and I held him tighter than I thought I could as he learned the pain of losing love all over again.

* * *

Aang's eyes were no longer puffy as he sat silently on Appa, waiting for who-knows-what. Momo chirruped as Katara approached.

"Good luck," she said sincerely.

"Okay," Aang answered, his voice cracking the slightest bit. "You, too." Aang's eyes didn't leave Katara as his two best friends turned around and walked out the entrance they had come through not so long ago. As they vanished into the trees, the Superior came forward. Aang sat up. "Guess I should be moving on."

"That would be best," the Superior replied. Her eyes met mine, and I opened my mouth. Then I decided against it. I could get new clothes elsewhere. Aang tugged at the reins, and soon Appa was shuffling out the gate.

"I'm an idiot, Linn," Aang said softly as he watched his friends go down a shadowy forest path.

"Hey, you're _my _idiot," I tried to joke, realizing too late that joking was not the way to go. Aang sighed and turned Appa towards the beach.

We sat in silence as Appa took us to the boat. I studied Aang, wondering what he was thinking. Sure, I could find out, but even a spy can feel like she's pried too much. And maybe I didn't want to know.

"Looks like we're going alone, guys," Aang said finally. I straightened, ready to offer to take the reins. But before I could begin to speak, the Superior rushed up to us in as much of a hurry as a nun can get.

"Avatar, you must leave," she urged.

"Okay, I get it; everybody wants me gone," Aang said testily, readying the reins.

"A group of people came to the abbey looking for you," the Superior continued.

"Who?" Aang asked, suddenly alert. I blinked, all of a sudden riding a shirshu along with Uncle Iroh and a strange woman with long black hair and swirling _wénsh__ē__n _on her shoulders.

"A fierce-looking woman with a horrible monster," the Superior's voice said, pulling me back onto Appa with Aang, "And a young man with a scar." Aang's eyes narrowed.

"Zuko," we said at the same time, although in two totally different tones of voices.

"The beast was using the scent of a necklace to follow you," the Superior told us. I rolled my eyes at the slight but bitter irony that Katara was no longer with us.

"A necklace?" Aang repeated, a little slower than me. His eyes widened suddenly. "Katara!" He suddenly winced, his hand flying to his neck.

"Aang?" I asked, reaching out for him. He shook it off and took ahold of the reins.

"Katara," he said again, this time with the dread of someone who knows what's happened. He pulled the reins harder than necessary as Appa took us into the air. He was stiff but determined, shoulders squared against the wind.

"Aang, are you sure you want her?" I asked, fully knowing the answer. After all, I knew every detail and dream of Zuko even though I had seen him but a few times in person. Aang probably had it easier because Katara wasn't his enemy- at least, before the map-to-her-father fiasco- but it hurt every bit as much when the one who is a part of you doesn't _want_ you as a part of their life.

"I've never been more sure." I could feel his mind searching, sensing where Katara was. I picked up Aang's staff from beside him and pressed it into one hand.

"Go," I said softly as his grip tightened on it. He smiled at me, and for the first time I felt like a real big sister. I grabbed the reins as Aang dove off of Appa, triggering his glider and flying away. I quickly urged Appa on, ready to be the backup that Aang would need.

From above, I watched Aang dramatically fly in on his glider, causing the shirshu to flip over. I saw Sokka and Katara laying stiffly on the ground, so I assumed that the shirshu had gotten to them. The woman with the _wénsh__ē__n_ jumped up, whipping the beast. The shirshu snarled and turned on Aang, beginning to charge. With a lash of the reins, I slammed into the shirshu on Appa. The shirshu crashed into a wall but quickly got up. Appa growled menacingly.

"You said it, girl," I agreed, tensing. I glanced over and saw Aang smile. However, my favorite person then approached him… with fire shooting from his hands. I closed my eyes and told myself that Aang could handle it. Aang was strong.

I jumped off Appa and rushed over to Katara and Sokka where they lay paralyzed. I ignored the sound of both Aang and Zuko crashing into roofs, as well as the noises of Appa and the shirshu battling, as I dragged the two over to a wall and propped them up against it. I blocked out the pain of my connection to both Aang and Zuko. I kept my focus on Sokka, feeling his neck for the right pressure point.

"What are you doing?" he asked, sounding strained. I didn't waver.

"Shut up and let me do it so you'll live to find out," I snapped, feeling the back of my brain beginning to pound. It shouldn't have taken me long, really- I had always excelled at medical skills, along with a large number of other areas- but I felt pressured, not to mention nervous, what with my two connected partners doing violent battle on the rooftops and all. I finally found the pressure point and stabbed my finger into it. Sokka gasped, then sighed as his arms began to loosen.

"Hey, I'm starting to get some feeling back," he said with wonder. Then a pile of rubble came crashing down onto him. "Ow."

"You're welcome," I replied, and moved on to Katara. Soon her arms were twitching as feeling found its way back into them. Now that I had done my good deed for the day, I looked back at Aang. He was fighting with Zuko on top of a well, nimbly dodging every kick. I had to admit that they were both doing really well, although the way Zuko's ponytail swished sort of annoyed me…

"Linn?" Sokka asked, bringing me out of a daydream where I cut off Zuko's ponytail and his hair magically grew longer. It actually looked pretty-

"What?" I said, a little dazed.

"Your boyfriend just threw fire down the well!"

"What!?" I was suddenly very attentive. Cleverly, I added, "He's not my boyfriend!" Shoot, I must have been staring! I spun to see Aang blast out of the well in a surge of water, lightly landing. The part that hurt was when Zuko smacked down onto the pavement. Ouch.

"Help me out here?" Sokka asked a little testily. I turned back to him. I rolled my eyes and set to work getting the rubble off. Woozily, Katara and Sokka stood up. The Superior rushed over, holding a jar of perfume beneath their noses. They were very much awake in a few seconds, and already Sokka was planning.

"That thing sees with its nose," he remarked. "Let's give it something to look at."

"The perfume?' the Superior asked. As Sokka nodded, I realized his plan. I supposed I could have come up with it, if I hadn't been busy…

The nuns quickly got to work. In pairs, they pushed the jars forward. Sokka and I each pushed one by ourselves, tipping the vast urns over so that they poured out perfume in a swift cascade. Katara stood in front and Waterbended the spilled perfume into a wave, rearing it over the shirshu. I had to admit, she was getting better. I wanted to help, but not only did I need to hide my bending; I somehow sensed in the way my chi was flowing that I _couldn't_. This realization was stunning- a perfect match to my subtle headache- but instead of thinking about it, I watched as the shirshu roared, having been drenched. Its nostrils flared, and it reared up in anger as it lost all scent-vision.

The shirshu fell backwards, lashing out with its barbed tongue and hitting Zuko. I cried out when I felt the stab of poison attack me, even though I hadn't been touched by the shirshu's tongue. Sokka rushed over to support me as the shirshu went crazy, knocking over pots and scratching rooftops until it finally leapt over a building and vanished. Sokka helped me up, and together we walked with Katara over to Aang, who picked up his fallen staff.

"Was it another migraine?" Sokka whispered in my ear. I nodded my head subtlety. Even as I nodded, I felt the pain die away. Now was not the time to explain yet another fun quirk of being me to Sokka. After a glance at Zuko, Iroh, and the shirshu woman lying on the ground, I made a decision. I gathered the four of us into a hug, which I felt even after we all let go.

* * *

"So… where do we go now?" Aang inquired, unsure. I glanced over at Sokka and Katara; they were both smiling. I was less smiling, because I _still_ hadn't gotten new clothes.

"We're getting you to the North Pole," Katara replied, her eyes shining.

"Yeah," Sokka agreed. "We've lost too much time as it is." Aang popped over to the saddle.

"But don't you want to see your father?" he asked with confusion.

"Of course we do, Aang," Sokka answered, completely serious. "But you're our family, too. Right now, you need us more."

"And _we_ need _you_," Katara added. Aang looked away.

"I wish I could you give you a piece of home, Katara," he said wistfully. "Something to remind you…" He stealthily looked up at her.

"I'll be okay," Katara said, looking down into her lap. I had to suppress a smile as I realized where this was going.

"Still, just a little trinket," Aang said, eyes without a trace of mischief. "Something like… this?" He held up Katara's necklace, which she had lost when we had gone to prison together. It glimmered mysteriously in the sunlight.

"Aang!" Katara exclaimed happily as she took the necklace. "How'd you get that?" She fastened it around her neck, completing some part of her appearance I hadn't realized had been missing. I also noticed that Aang's flower necklace was gone. Hmm…

"Zuko said to be sure I got to you," Aang said casually.

"Aww, that's so sweet of Zuko," Katara said teasingly. "Would you give him a kiss for me when you see him?" The phrase was a little disturbing- not to mention ironic in an extremely twisted way- but Aang nodded.

"Sure," he said. Katara leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. I averted my eyes as Aang went red and twiddled his thumbs.

"More than I wanted to know," I said quietly to myself, studying Aang now that the moment was over. He was still twelve, just like me, but he had grown some. He was catching up to me, in a way, and I wondered how much distance there really was between us.


	17. Still That Girl

**A/N: I apologize for the incredibly long wait, but due to complications, it might be a pattern. I'm really sorry, but I do have some actual notes. The "whoa's" of the song, "Still That Girl," are used as words in its changed version. Also, a **_**"hanfu**_**" is a Chinese garment that the kimono is descended from. "Wènhòu" and "Y****ǒ****uqù" mean "greetings" and "interesting," respectively.**

* * *

"Hey, did you guys see…" I stopped my question before I could really think about it. There wasn't anyone in the trees. The only noises I heard were Sokka chugging the last of our water and Momo's quiet chirruping. I had several reasons to pretend, least of which comfort.

"This should give us a good idea what's around here," Katara said as she approached the billboard in the middle of the woods.

"See if you can find a menu," Sokka commented, wiping at his mouth. "I'm starving." Aang suddenly rushed up to the board.

"I bet we'll find something to eat here," he said, pointing to a colorful poster of a dragon and flames. "The Fire Days Festival." Momo, Katara, and I leaned in to see what the options were. "Fire Nation cultural exhibits, jugglers, benders, magicians; this should be a great place for me to study some real Firebenders!" Up until that last point I'd been listening. Now I was alert.

"Aang, you don't even need to see Firebenders," I said, hoping he would listen to his poor, bending-less sister. "You need to completely master water, then earth. Fire is a long way off." Aang's face fell.

"But, Linn-" he began.

"You might wanna rethink that," Sokka broke in from the other side of the billboard. "Look at this." We walked over to the other side. Aang was delighted. I was less so.

"Hey, a poster of me!" Aang said, unconcerned.

"A _wanted_ poster," I replied as Aang took the poster down to examine it. "That's _bad_." Why didn't he get it? The paper said, "Wanted: The Avatar. This fugitive knows Airbending, can create whirlwinds, and flees like the wind. Hunters, be extremely cautious!" _Fugitive!_ Another paper caught my eye; a wanted poster of the 'Blue Spirit' was below where Aang's had been. The mask brought a scene up from my memory… but it wasn't exactly one of _my_ memories. Spirits, had I gotten Zuko into- more- trouble?

"I think we better keep moving," Katara said worriedly. Aang looked at her with big doe eyes.

"I have to learn Firebending at some point," he pointed out. "And this could be my only chance to watch the masters up close." Katara looked away, clearly leaning towards a yes. I knew I could nudge Aang's mind if I wanted, but over a pit stop? No. I needed to let him make his own decisions. That's how he would learn and grow.

"I guess we could go check it out," Katara said finally. With my permission, I might add. Sokka didn't give his right away, though.

"What!?" he exclaimed. "You want to walk into a Fire Nation town when they're all fired up with all their… you know, fire?"

"We can wear disguises," I suggested. "If it looks like trouble, we can leave." Sokka glared at me, seeming both surprised and annoyed at my change of heart. Katara, Aang, and I started to walk to Appa. Sokka slouched against the billboard.

"Yeah… because we always leave before we get into trouble." He followed anyway, but I stopped him.

"I'll be right back," I said sincerely, looking into his eyes. "Okay?" He nodded, obviously confused. I darted into the forest and closed my eyes; as memories of my training came back, I knew exactly where to find the materials.

* * *

"Wow…" Sokka breathed, although whether it was sarcastic or not was unclear. I smoothed a hand over the kimono, feeling the subtle textures of the woven plants and absolutely adoring the fact that it was red instead of blue.

"Disguise," I shrugged, and smoothed it one more time. I then touched my shoulder, almost wincing as my fingers grazed the petals above my scar. I prayed the sleeves would stay firm, although I shouldn't have had any doubts- I had made all of my clothing during my old life. Honestly, I should have thought of it sooner.

"You guys stay out of sight here while we go to the festival," Aang told Appa and Momo. Momo leapt off Appa and gracefully dove into a bush. Appa proceeded to shuffle over to the bush and crouch behind it. Stealth, Appa, stealth. Aang got a big smile on his face as he said dramatically, "Ready disguises." Sokka and Katara smoothly pulled up black hoods. I reached back and untied my braid, feeling the long strands unravel and fall down my back. I then pulled on a light rose-colored shawl, which I, shall we say, _borrowed_ from the abbey. Hey, better safe than sorry. Finally, Aang flipped his shawl over his head.

"It's like you're a whole different person," Sokka said sarcastically. I could tell, though, that he was watching _me_ from the corner of his eye even as Katara giggled at Aang's goofiness.

"Let's go," Aang beckoned, and we headed down to the city. But although Sokka's attention was shifted, now _I_ was watching _him_.

* * *

Fireworks burst overhead in the night sky, children laughed as they ran with their sparkling toys, and folks in the masses were having a good time. It was frightening. People in a dragon costume crossed in front of us, and a feeling of dread sunk in as I saw the masks on everyone's faces.

"I think we need some new disguises," Katara said, somehow observant. I looked down at my new clothes and sighed.

"Where are we gonna get masks like that?" Sokka snapped.

"Get your genuine Fire Festival masks here!" a vendor called it.

"Well, that was surprisingly easy." I cast Sokka a look. My spirit was dampened was he didn't glare back. Spirits, what was wrong with him?

Soon, masks were donned. Sokka wore a smiling blue face, Aang had on a frowning red one, Katara was concealed by the face of a delicate geisha, and I had put on a mask with two parts to its face- the left side was that of a beautiful woman, while the right was a fang-toothed dragon. Call it irony, if you like. I looked between Sokka and Aang, and took off their masks. Sokka's frowning face went perfectly with Aang's mask, while Aang's happy smile was the match to Sokka's mask. I quickly switched the masks, and we walked into the crowd of people.

"Hey, there's some food!" Aang pointed out.

"Finally!" Sokka rejoiced, and rushed up to the stand. "Whadda ya have?"

"Flaming fire flakes," the vendor responded. "Best in town." Sokka took a bag from the man.

"I'll take it," he announced, and promptly began shoving the steaming grains into his mouth. I was tempted to warn him, but… "Ahhhhhh! Hot, hot, _hot!_" He franticly clawed at his tongue.

"Flaming fire flakes… hot? Whadda ya know?" Apparently, Katara wasn't impressed either.

"Hey, look at this!' Aang exclaimed, drawing us away from the food stand. Children were sitting in rows in front of a puppet theatre, quietly waiting for the show. I rolled my eyes at the childish thing but watched anyway. A puppet dressed in Fire Nation robes and a crown appeared.

"Don't worry, loyal citizens!" he 'said.' "No one can surprise the Fire Lord!" Behind the puppet, an Earthbender puppet rose up with a rock. Despite myself, I tensed. The children watching gave out various cries of "Oh, no!" and "Look out!" Suddenly, the Fire Lord puppet spun around and roared fire, setting the Earthbender puppet aflame. The crowd cheered, but already Aang was moving on to another part of the festival.

"Aang, hold on!" I protested.

"Where are we going?" Katara asked as we hurried after him, but I knew the answer to that one.

"I don't know," Aang shrugged, worming his way through the mass of people, "But there's a big crowd, so it must be good."

"Knowing the Fire Nation, it's probably an execution," Sokka said dryly. However, it was actually a performing Firebender on stage. He bended balls of fire from the four torches positioned around him, sending through the air. They joined together and became a flock of doves. The crowd was enthusiastic, and Aang took off his mask to look at the falling feathers in wonder.

"I gotta learn that trick!" he said. I considered it, then decided against it. Aang was dangerous enough. The performer on stage bowed.

"Thank you!" The crowd quieted down, and Aang put his mask back on. "For my next trick, I need a volunteer from the audience!" Aang was dancing on his toes with his hand in the air.

"Ooh! Ooh! Me! Me!" The performer quietly surveyed the crowd, oblivious to Aang.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sokka hissed.

"I wanna get a closer look," Aang explained. I put a hand on his shoulder to keep him from leaping into the air.

"It's better that we don't attract any attention to ourselves," I told him.

"How about you, little lady?" The Firebender was suddenly at the edge of the stage, pointing at Katara. Well, so much for no attention.

"Uh…" Katara backed away, shaking her head.

"Aww, she's shy," the Firebender said sympathetically. "Let's give her some encouragement, folks!" Someone from behind shoved me aside and pushed her up to the stage. Talk about warm welcome. Katara looked back at us as she was pulled up onto the stage.

"Aww, that coulda been me!" Aang pouted. I felt a prickle on my neck, and glanced back at the crowd. A feeling of dread settled in my stomach as I caught a man in a hood ducking away. As the performer continued to talk, I waded through the crowd.

"Excuse me, pardon me," I apologized as I pushed through. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the Firebender, so it was just a matter of nudging them aside. I broke free of the crowd and casually looked around, keeping a steady pace toward the fire flake booth. I glimpsed the man walking into an alley like he belonged there. But I knew better. I slowed and waited at the corner, summoning fire to my hand. I jumped around the wall and came face to face with-

"Whoa!" the man exclaimed, stopping himself from colliding with me. I held up my hand, pleased that the flame flared instead of sputtering out.

"Hi," I said in a friendly tone. My mind scanned the man's face and figured out where I had seen it before: a wanted poster on the billboard in the forest. "I was wondering where I might find someone by the name of…" What had it said? My mind's eye conjured up the billboard and zoomed in. "Chey?" The man's- Chey's- eyes widened, but before he could question my knowledge, a shout reached my ears.

"Hey, that kid's the Avatar!" I shook my head and turned away from Chey.

"I'll deal with _you_ later," I told him, and was off. I jumped onto the head of a soldier trudging through the crowd and pushed off, lightly landing on the stage where Aang, Katara, and Sokka all were. There was confetti scattered on the stage and ropes lying untied. Could I ever leave those three alone?

"I think it's time to go!" Sokka informed us as he and Katara pulled off their masks and the soldiers drew ever closer. I threw off my own, and the mask rolled before coming to a stop at the edge of the stage, the dragon side facing me.

"Follow me!" came a hiss. We turned to see Chey peering from behind a broken wall. "I can get you outta here!" I had a second to make a choice, but I didn't need it. He was clearly Fire Nation, but what Fire Nation citizen needs to hide from his people? An easy question, and anyone against the Fire Nation was a friend of ours. I thought of Zuko. Oh, wait…

"There they are!" I grabbed Aang's arm and pulled him to follow as he glanced at the soldiers climbing on to the stage. Once we were around the wall, I saw in my peripheral vision the flash and smoke of a firebomb. Who exactly _was_ Chey? Shaking the thought off, I followed him as we rushed through unfamiliar streets. Chey knocked a box out of one man's hand, and without stopping, I scooped it up and placed it back in his hands.

"Over there!" We were flying by, and I had little time to absorb my surroundings, but every detail I caught in the blur was fixed in my memory- most importantly, the way we were going. This town was younger than one hundred years, putting me at a serious disadvantage. What good was my knowledge if it wasn't up-to-date?

"I'm calling Appa!' Aang shouted as we raced through alleys. He pulled Appa's whistle from his tunic and blew hard, its high-pitched tone sounding like air.

"I hope he can really hear that bison whistle!" Sokka panted.

"This way!" Chey suddenly directed us, and we turned into an alley. We skidded to a halt as soldiers appeared at the end. "Okay, not this way!" We backed up as Chey pulled another firebomb out of his cloak and threw it. We were in a new alley, and we were rushing up to a dead end. Trapped. But a miraculous noise came from the sky: the beauty of Appa's groaning.

"Appa, down here!" Aang called up to her. Appa flew down, landing heavily on six feet and squarely slapping her tail down, sending the soldiers flying. In a moment, we were all on board. As we flew off, Chey pulled out yet another bomb from his cloak and lit it, throwing it into the stash of fireworks below us. A deafening explosion sounded as they ignited, and I watched them soar up to become beautiful bursts of color. I could hear the cheers of the crowd as the fireworks display continued, ever diminishing as we flew on.

"Nice touch, setting off the fireworks," Aang remarked to Chey. He was looking out over the saddle, gazing back at the town. I knew he would have to turn around eventually, and let them see his face.

"You seem to really know your explosives," Sokka added. Chey turned to answer.

"I'm familiar," he shrugged. Everyone's expression changed as they recognized his features.

"You're Fire Nation!" Sokka accused.

"Was," Chey explained. "My name's Chey." And I had to admit, I couldn't wait to hear _this_ story.

* * *

"I serve a man," Chey told us as we sat around a fire in the woods. "More than a man, really; he's a myth. But he's _real_. A living legend: Jeong Jeong the Deserter. He was a Fire Nation general." Chey stopped and scratched his head. "Or, wait, what was he an admiral?"

"He was very highly ranked, we get it," Sokka broke in testily.

"Yeah, way up there!" Chey continued. "But he couldn't take the madness anymore. He's the first person ever to leave the Army, and live. I'm the second, but you don't get to be a legend for that. It's okay, though." The wanted poster in my mind suddenly became clear, but another memory was beginning to surface. Another poster… "Jeong Jeong's a Firebending genius! Some say he's mad, but he's not. He's _enlightened_." He was also white-haired with a double-lined scar across his right eye and a Li Fao style mustache, if nothing had changed since he became wanted. I felt incredibly stupid for not being more noticing, like I had been taught for _my whole life_. I should have absorbed every detail of every poster, including the one that had Zuko's face on it because of me!

"You mean there's a Firebender out here who's not with the Firelord?" Aang asked excitedly. "We've got to go see him! He can train me!" The image from the poster rose in my mind; he didn't look the kind of person who took students. And I had to wonder how he got the scar…

"We're not gonna go find some crazy Firebender," Sokka cut him short.

"He's _not_ crazy!" Chey protested. "He's a genius!" He calmed a little. "And he the prefect person to train the Avatar. That's why I followed you to the festival." That feeling I had squashed earlier was creeping back. So much for pretending it was nothing.

"Look," Sokka said firmly, "Thanks for the help. But we're leaving for the North Pole in the morning."

"Sokka…" Aang said, eyes wide. "This could be my _only_ chance to meet with a Firebending master, who would actually be willing to teach me." I dug my fingernails into my palm, a headache starting in the back of my brain. I put my hand behind my back and let a small burst of flame shoot out, incinerating a leaf, before snuffing the fire and curling my hand around the ashes. I wished I could burn away my lies just as easily, but I had chosen a path. I was to be a counselor for Aang, and let someone whose bending _worked_ on a regular basis teach him. But was I wasting time?

"It can't hurt just to talk to him," Katara vouched. Oh, but it could. It could always hurt. The question was who?

"That's what you said about going to the festival!" Sokka screeched, throwing his hands in the air. "Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me!?" I stood up, trying to shake off the shiver that wanted to arch down my back.

"Because you're always-" I stopped mid-sarcastic remark and glanced up, my headache becoming like a sword in my brain. Without warning, men fell from the treetops and surrounded us, spears pointed.

"Don't move," one commanded, looking up grimly from beneath his straw hat. I suddenly got an ominous feeling that my bending was not going to work. I willed my breathing to become the force of tornado, but as I had known, my Airbending would not function, along with my power over the other elements. With no bending and untrained companions, I had to pray it would not come to a fight.

* * *

"Jeong Jeong told you not to look for Avatar," the leading tribesman rebuked Chey.

"Hold on, you know these guys?" Sokka asked in surprise.

"Oh, yeah," Chey agreed. "Lin Ye's an old buddy. Right, Lin Ye?"

"Shut up," Lin Ye snapped, jabbing his spear at Chey. "Keep moving."

"Some buddy," I muttered as the men moved us along. Aang, Sokka, and Katara exchanged looks as we moved closer to the mysterious- and almost frightening- Jeong Jeong.

* * *

"Go on," Lin Ye pushed Chey gruffly. "He sees you only."

"Oh, that's okay," Chey laughed nervously. "We can chat later."

"Is that where Jeong Jeong is?" Aang piped up. "I need to talk to him right away."

"No," Lin Ye barked, bringing his spear down so Aang's way was barred. "You wait here." He then brought the spear forward, shoving Chey down the slope in front of us. "Go!"

"Don't worry," Chey tried to assure us. "Everything will be fine." As he continued down the hill, I heard him console himself, "He's a great man, a great man!" But a man with scars is a man who survived a battle, and warriors are rarely pacifists. Although I could list a few exceptions…

"Aang, are you sure you want to see this Jeong Jeong?" I asked him as we set up a sort of camp by one of the buildings. He nodded eagerly.

"This is a great chance to learn Firebending, and when would I ever find a nice Firebender again?" I bit my lip. A sudden stab of pain from my ever-present headache caused me to nearly break the skin, but I heaved a sigh instead.

"I know, Aang," I said with sympathy. "I'm just worried for you. What if this Jeong Jeong isn't so nice after all? What if you get hurt? I would never forgive myself." Aang's eyes were wide, but he met my gaze with certainty.

"This is the right thing," he said firmly. I hesitantly probed his mind for reasons, but pure will to learn and fulfill expectations was what I found. I nodded in consent and smiled. Aang grinned at my lenience and added cheerfully, "Good night!" He promptly dropped to the ground and curled up.

"Good night, Aang," I replied, rolling my eyes at his boyish attitude, and lay down beside him. I squeezed my eyes shut against the pain in my skull and forced myself into sleep. Deep, true sleep.

* * *

I can't remember most of the dream. But it was frightening, so frightening, and the part I do remember begins in a big, open landscape. The face of Jeong Jeong was in front of me.

"You are not ready!" he screamed at me, his eyes reflecting a great fire. Then he was Fang, the same flames flaring in her eyes.

_I must summon you back to the forest. You have failed the assignment._ I tried to move away from the dragon's face, but I couldn't move back. I tried to cry out, "Don't take me back, please!" but my lips could not even move. Then Fang was Zuko, and sad, amber eyes were staring at me with a piercing gaze. A burning gaze.

"I thought I had found my soulmate," he whispered. "But you're just a bending-less, useless girl." Tears couldn't even come. I was frozen, petrified by the voicing of my fears. But I felt a hand on my shoulder. Suddenly, I could look back, and the strong, warrior face of Mei Feng was staring down my fears. The Zuko in front of me melted, becoming liquid that soaked into the ground without a trace.

"Linn." Mei Feng's voice echoed. "You are ready. You will make the right choices. _You are strong._" Before my eyes, a tree sprouted from where the liquid had fallen, growing a thousand years' worth in a matter of moments. It blossomed, beautiful buds unfolding to reveal roses divided in two: one half a fiery red, the other a cool blue. As I watched, the petals melded into each other, and the roses became a mix of the two colors, with new shades of purple, orange, and even yellow thrown in. Together, it looked like a sunset caught in a flower.

"Thank you," I whispered, expressing gratitude for many things. Mei Feng's hand on my shoulder became lighter and lighter until it had completely faded away, but I still felt her presence.

"_**Dreams, they come. Plans may change. But you'll never break; I promise you won't break." **_Mei Feng's voice was soft but strong, and a warm comfort flowed through me._** "The things you've faced make you who you are, and you are like a star, shining in the dark. And what's coming in summer, this summer, is the reason that you can't go back again. There's no back again, and you must stay with your friends."**_

"_**Yes, they are my friends…"**_ I sighed. Despite their flaws, I had come to think of them _all_ as family. Or at least that's what I thought, since I had never really known what loving a family was like. _**"I can't help but picture those twelve years of past. I've never smiled like now I do, with Aang smiling back at me-. Now I- see black hair and a scarred eye, love like I never knew. Aang's heart is of laughter, but there's so much to lose."**_

"_**But think how they'll remember you,"**_ Mei Feng's voice urged. _**"They are young, they are free, and they dare to believe they're two boys, two girls, who can save the world. So your life took a turn; you might fall and get hurt, but you're still that girl, you know you will change the world. You are and always will still be that girl."**_

"_**I'm still that girl?"**_I asked with doubt.

"_**You've struggled to find your way. Despite the world, you're still that girl. Sometimes life doesn't go the way we planned, and you will have days when you just don't understand. But there is a meaning, though it's not always easy. And this story's not over, it's still being told. The sunrise is coming, bright, warm, and gold. Don't go back again, be there for the end-"**_

"_**They are young, they're still free, but am I to believe that I am the girl who can change the world?"**_ I was losing my bending, I had yet to teach Aang anything, and I hadn't even tried to beat the men who brought us to Jeong Jeong's camp. _**"My life sure took a turn. I've seen falls, and mine hurt. I can't be his girl; I don't see me changing this world. My love and my heart are misplaced. I'm not that girl."**_

"_**You **_**are**_** that girl! Without a doubt, you will save and free the world. You're still that girl! What if the picture is bigger than you see, and fate has you right where it needs you to be? You should listen to your heart; it's telling you with every beat- you're still that girl."**_

"_**I'm still that girl,"**_ I repeated. As I thought of what she was saying, I stopped and listened. And I was almost sure. _**"I'm still that girl."**_

"_**They are young and still free, and you'll help them believe they're two boys, two girls, who will change the world. What you know and you see is all you must believe, just to be that girl who I know can change this world."**_

"_**Stay with me as I go,"**_ I begged. _**"If I'm that girl, I'll need some help."**_

"_**I'm in you, your very soul. You are that girl, believe yourself. I see it in your eyes, your heart, your hopes, your smile: You are that girl. You are that girl."**_ And that was the end of my dream.

* * *

"Linn, are you okay? Linn?" I blinked the sleep out of my eyes to see Sokka leaning over me, worry all over his face.

"I'm fine," I mumbled sleepily, even though I was completely awake now. "Why, was something wrong?" Sokka backed away as I pushed myself up, noticing that the sun had risen.

"Well, you were… kind of whimpering and twitching," Sokka admitted awkwardly. "I thought you were having a bad dream." I thought back. Mei Feng had told me I was to do everything I had been instructed to, even though _I_ thought I was failing miserably at the task. Did it mean she had faith in me, or maybe that what I was doing was somehow the right way? I didn't know. Another shortcoming.

"Aw, Sokka, I didn't know you cared," I joked, smiling at him to let him know I was kidding. He looked away.

"Yeah, I do," he said quietly. Then he stood up and brushed imaginary dust off his clothes. "I'm going fishing while Aang does whatever with the crazy Firebender guy. What will you be doing?" I looked down at my own clothes, thinking of the roses in my dream.

"I'll be sewing," I said decisively. "I'll be nearby, so you can watch me. No suspicious activity whatsoever." Sokka shrugged and turned, walking away. I went in the opposite direction, eager to gather new materials for my project.

* * *

"Widen your stance," Jeong Jeong instructed Aang. I sat on a smooth rock by the shore of the lake, turning plants of various colors into my new wardrobe. But I was still listening, trying to determine what he would teach my brother. "Wider! Bend your knees. Now concentrate." I was making great progress on a green robe. I myself was impressed how it looked exactly like a cloth-made outfit, unless you knew what to look for. "Good, good."

"Wait, what do I do know?" Aang asked.

"Silence!" Jeong Jeong commanded. "Talking is not concentrating. Look at the girls: are they talking? Even that oaf knows to concentrate on what he's doing!"

"Hey!" Sokka protested. I smiled to myself, starting to like Jeong Jeong.

"But what am I concentrating _on_?" Aang specified.

"Feel the heat of the sun. It is the greatest source of fire; it is in complete balance with nature." That was actually a good way to start a Firebending lesson. But Aang wasn't-

"So when do I get to make some fire?" Point proven.

"Concentrate!" I glanced up to see Jeong Jeong storm off. Katara and Sokka giggled, and when Aang glanced back, I saw his face flush. He quickly turned back and stood stiffly in his stance. I sighed. He was concentrating too hard on concentrating. I quietly set my work aside and went over to him.

"Hey," I said softly, setting a hand on his shoulder. "Just try to close your eyes and feel the warmth. Like sunbathing. Keep your mind loose." Aang shook off my hand and stiffened even more.

"I've got this," he said firmly. "I mastered Airbending, I can do this." I turned to leave him to his failed concentration. I paused.

"They're not the same, you know," I added. "I could help." No answer came, so I sat back down and picked up my needle. I didn't look up when Jeong Jeong returned, when he took Aang with him, or even when Sokka fell into the river. Because in my mind, I heard Aang's thoughts over and over: _She doesn't understand. She's not a bender._

* * *

Eventually, I began to notice the outside world again, and knew that Jeong Jeong had returned without Aang. I put down my needle, and my eyes widened as I saw that I had somehow created a gorgeous green _hanfu_, the sleeves trimmed with beautiful yet subtle leaf patterns. I didn't remember creating any of it, but it was beyond doubt the best piece of clothing I had made. I decided to put it on later to replace the red outfit I was wearing, and got up to visit Jeong Jeong.

"Wènhòu, Master," I greeted him formally as I pulled aside the curtain and stepped into the meditation center. Jeong Jeong's eyes were closed, and he was surrounded by candles. The flames swelled and fell in synchronization with his breathing.

"Yǒuqù…" he murmured, and his eyes flew open. "You speak the old language?" I nodded respectfully and bowed.

"I am Linn," I told him, and sat down delicately. For a while, we sat in silence. As the candles swelled, I pictured them flaring and dying out in a movement, from right to left. I bit my lip as I concentrated, unused to having to think so hard to Firebend. But suddenly, as if a dam broke, it happened, and the flames shot up and flickered out one by one, right to left. Jeong Jeong's eyes met mine, and he studied me.

"You are a Firebender?" he asked. I looked down and nodded. His eyes squinted at me. "Then why is the Avatar here?" I examined my hands, my eyes fixed on my carefully trimmed fingernails. Jeong Jeong suddenly raised a hand, and the candles were alight again, blindingly bright. "_Why?_"

"Because I can't!" I blurted, and was at a loss for words. Why didn't I teach Aang Firebending? Spirits, why didn't I teach him _something?_ But like the girl I had been trained to be, I knew the answer. I whispered, "I'm scared." And I curled up into a ball so that the Firebender wouldn't see me cry.

* * *

Outside the tent, I wiped away at my face for the third time, wondering how puffy my eyes were but not wanting to go near the water to see. Aang was talking with Jeong Jeong now, and I could only hope Jeong Jeong would keep his word. I shook my head at the thought. No. He _would_ keep his word. I glanced down at the lotus tile in my hand and smiled. At least somethings never changed after one hundred years.

Aang pushed out of the tent, his head bowed. I wiped at my eyes again and smiled at him.

"So?" Aang walked to the rock Jeong Jeong had taught him at earlier and sat down. I could feel his thoughts swirling, but all of my morality-ignorant ways I had once held dear seemed wrong now. I kept out of his mind, and instead asked again, "So? How did it go?"

"Jeong Jeong is right. I'm not ready." I stared at him, wondering where the youthful, eager boy had gone. I stood up and walked over to him, sitting on my knees to face him.

"Being ready is not about having the skill, or the strength, or the experience. It's about being _willing_ to _learn_." Aang looked up at me, and his eyes said everything. I leaned forward to give him a quick, tight hug, and got up. I cast one last meaningful glance at Aang and ran off into the forest to find Sokka.

He wasn't hard to find. A nice, clearly marked trail was left in his wake, and the animals he was hunting were sure to see it, too. I sighed and kicked the bush hard.

"Ow!" Sokka scrambled to brush the leaves off his clothes and look threatening. "What was that for!?"

"Animals aren't any more blind then I am, Sokka." I gestured at the trail. His face fell.

"Oh." I opened my mouth to tell him why I had come. A scream suddenly rang through the air. Sokka and I exchanged worried looks. "Katara!" We ran together out of the forest to see Katara curled up on the ground and Aang looking scared.

"Katara, what's wrong?" Sokka asked as we reached the scene. Katara sobbed on the ground. Sokka glared at Aang. "What did you do?"

"I-It was an accident! Katara, I'm so-" Sokka tackled Aang before he could reach out to Katara.

"I told you you shouldn't mess around with this!" Sokka was furious, and I had no idea what he was going to do. I winced as he yelled at Aang. "Look what you did! You burned my sister!" Katara suddenly got up, still weeping, and ran off. I glanced back at Aang and Sokka, and quickly ran after Katara. I followed her farther along the stream, until she finally stopped to hunker down and breathe hard.

"Katara, let me help!" I pleaded as I caught up. She glanced at me, her eyes brimming with tears of pain. I got down beside her and reached out to her. "Put your hands in the water, Katara." She nodded, and brought her shaking hands out from her robe. She winced hard, then calmed and stared at her hands as they glowed with the healing power I knew she had possessed. The burns on her hands faded away, and I touched my shoulder lightly, remembering.

"You have healing abilities." We looked up to see Jeong Jeong walking toward us. "The great benders of the Water Tribe sometimes have this ability. I've always wished I were blessed like you, free from this burning curse." Jeong Jeong crouched beside us, his eyes reflecting memories he had told me in the tent.

"But you're a great master," Katara said with confusion. "You have powers I'll never know."

"Water brings healing and life," Jeong Jeong explained. "But fire brings only destruction and pain. It forces those of us burdened with its care to walk a razor's edge between humanity and savagery." I couldn't help but regret for him as he finished, "Eventually, we are torn apart."

Suddenly, fire blasted the water in front of us. Jeong Jeong deflected flames aimed at the shore, flames that had come from three boats giving off smog as they headed toward us. Jeong Jeong gestured wildly towards the camp.

"Go! Get your friends and flee!" Katara quickly scrambled to the trees. I hesitated. Jeong Jeong gave me a deep look, and I think that in that moment, he regretted for me, too. "Go! The Avatar needs you!" I nodded and ran. "Do not come back here, or you will all be destroyed! Hurry!" My legs took me as fast as they could, and I pulled ahead of Katara as we reached Sokka, who was readying Appa.

"Katara!" he exclaimed as we reached him. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she assured him. "We've got to get out of here. Where's Aang?" Sokka gestured with his thumb to the meditation center. Katara dash off towards it, leaving me with Sokka. An awkward silence hung in the air. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Sokka looking at me, turning away whenever I moved my head.

"Are you okay?" I said finally. Sokka jumped, like hearing my voice had spooked him.

"Yeah. Why?" I quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, nothing. Just your sister was burned by your friend, you tackled him with more strength than I've seen you use on a possible dinner, and now the burns are miraculously healed. No big deal." Sokka sighed. Before he could answer, I added, "And you haven't talked to me like we could kill each other in a while. So what's up?" Sokka's eyes widened. I folded my arms.

"It's that obvious, huh?" I shrugged.

"Nah. Maybe a little less." Sokka looked away, but I knew he would say what was on his mind. Just the proper amount of silence-

"Aang's gone to help Jeong Jeong!" Alas, my frustration could not be properly vented at that point. Sokka shook his head as if to clear it- like there was anything in there, anyway- and scrambled up Appa. I leapt on, and Katara climbed up Appa's tail. Appa quickly launched into the air, taking us over the trees and bringing us to the river. Quite a scene was below.

"Aang, come on! Let's go!" Sokka called, and Aang waded out of the stream as the three ships burned on the water. He quickly jumped onto Appa and took the reins, flying us high above the scene.

"Wait- Where's Jeong Jeong?" Aang asked as we flew away.

"He disappeared," Sokka answered, looking down. "They all did." An empty camp was below us, worn tracks being the only sign that anyone had ever been there. Appa swiftly flew us far away, and the forest faded from sight.

"Aang, you're burned," Katara pointed out suddenly, and Aang looked down at his wounds. Katara pulled out her water pouch. "Let me help you." She Waterbended the liquid from the pouch, cloaked her hand in it, and placed her water-covered hand on Aang's arm. The water rotated around Aang's burn before falling away, revealing clean skin.

"Wow," Aang said, impressed. "That's good water."

"When did you learn how to do that?" Sokka asked.

"I guess I always knew," Katara answered, glancing at me. I smiled at her to approve the answer. Every bender has an instinct rooted deep within them that often leads to accidental bending, but in a healer's case, the body instinctively heals itself without the mind's direction. Of course, once a Waterbender realizes the ability they posess, they end up thinking about it and making it too hard.

"Oh, well, then, thanks for all the first aid over the years!" Sokka said sarcastically. "Like, when I fell into the greaseberry bramble, and that time I had two _fishhooks_ in my _thumb!_"

"Two?" I asked, suppressing an extremely wide grin.

"He tried to get the first fishhook out with another fishhook," Katara explained.

"Oh, and the time that mink snake bit me," Sokka continued. "Thanks for healing that up. That was great. Really helpful." I rolled my eyes as Sokka continued to gripe. At least that was normal.

The sun was setting, and as we flew off into it, I had to wonder how this story was going to end. I still felt shaky from everything that had gone wrong, but in the end, we had always made it out. After all that I knew and had learned, I still had questions. Where was Fang? What would happen if my mistakes took us the wrong way? What if everything failed because of me?

I blinked hard as the memory of Mei Feng came back to me. I was still the girl who could save the world. I smiled as the image of the beautiful flower came back to me. I reached into my bag to feel the cool texture of my new green robe. I decided to save it for a special occasion. As I pulled my hand back out, I crossed my fingers for luck. Why? Because even _that_ girl needs a little luck.


End file.
